New Beginnings
by Dawnstorm101
Summary: THOR RAGNAROK SPOILERS WITHIN. ALSO POTENTIAL AND DEFINITE INFINITY WAR AND AVENGERS 4 SPOILERS LATER ON. Loki has made his peace with Thor, but there's one thing he has to say to Valkyrie. So the duo has a conversation that ends up leading to the possibility of more.
1. New Beginnings

A/N: I hopped onboard the Lokyrie train before I even saw the movie, so now I'm ecstatic that I can finally write it. And also good Loki. I'm so glad he's back on the good side in time for Infinity War.

* * *

After a little while of not-so-dramatic flying towards Earth, the Asgardians dispersed. Hulk went off somewhere – much to Loki's relief – as did Valkyrie. Heimdall stayed, staring stoically out the window on Thor's other side. Part of Loki wanted to leave, but he just stood there with his arms crossed and head ducked a little.

Thor look up at him. "You're allowed to leave my side, brother."

"I know," Loki said, "but-"

"Those I protected will not harm you, my boy," Heimdall assured him. "For better or for worse, you are their prince, and an Asgardian."

"I'm not-"

"You are an Asgardian in every way that matters," Heimdall stated firmly. His golden stare practically dared Loki to argue, so Loki just nodded and reminded himself to accept the affection.

"Regardless, it's not the civilians I'm concerned about," he admitted. _Not entirely, anyway._

Thor chuckled. "If Hulk was going to smash you into the floor again, he would have done it already."

Loki winced at the memory but shook his head. "He is not who I was referring to."

Thor twisted around to see Loki better, intrigue lighting up his remaining eye upon seeing his expression. "You have a crush on her!"

"What?" Loki exclaimed.

Thor laughed. "You like Valkyrie."

"She tried to kill me! Why would I like her?"

"Denial is the clencher," Thor said triumphantly.

Loki cleared his throat and edged away. "I have an apology to make. Excuse me."

"She would be good for you!" Thor called after him as he disappeared around a corner.

"Crush on Valkyrie," he muttered to himself. "What nonsense."

But when he knocked on her door and she opened it, bottle in hand and still clad in her white-and-gold armor with her hair in slight disarray, Loki's breath caught for a moment. She just eyed him. "What do you want?"

Loki opened his mouth, but the apology faltered at his lips, so he just pointed at the bottle. "Care to share?"

Her eyebrow rose, but she shrugged and stepped aside to let him in. The room was small and sparse, furnished only with a single-person bed shoved into the corner, a couple chairs, and a table already covered in various bottles of alcoholic beverages. "You don't strike me as a drinker."

Loki eyed the bottle as she slapped it into his hand. "I'm not."

Valkyrie grabbed a different bottle from the table and flopped onto the bed, leaning up against the wall. "Well, drink up," she urged, tipping her bottle almost entirely upside down and gulping it down.

Loki sniffed his, then gingerly took a sip. He gagged as it hit his throat, burning viciously. "Oh gods," he rasped.

Valkyrie laughed. "That's some of the strongest stuff in the universe right there."

Swiping away tears of pain, Loki set the bottle down on the table and pulled up a chair. "I can tell."

She grinned at his pain for a moment longer. Then she sat up and leaned her elbows on her knees, a more serious expression chasing away her mirth. "I get the feeling there's a story with you and the rest of your family. What is it?"

Loki straightened up, avoiding her gaze. "I would prefer not to tell it."

"And I would've preferred not to have my worst memory thrust upon me."

Loki looked back at her, the familiar sting of guilt hitting him as he saw her anger. "I'm sorry about that."

To his surprise, she just shrugged and took another swig of drink. "Nah, I needed it. Otherwise I'd still be rotting on Sakaar."

He lightly flicked one of the many bottles on the table. "It doesn't look like much has changed."

"Now I'm drinking for fun instead of to drown my sorrows." She hopped off the bed and picked through the bottles, finally picking one up and handing it to Loki. "Here, this one's much easier to stomach. Promise."

Loki took a sip, relieved when it slid pleasantly over his taste buds. "Much better."

She resettled on her bed. "So, back to the subject of painful backstories…"

Loki sighed. "You're not going to let up, are you?"

"Nope."

Loki swallowed a few more mouthfuls before starting. "I'm a Frost Giant."

Valkyrie spat out the drink she'd just taken. "You're a _what_?"

Loki smiled wryly. "I'm Laufey's son. Odin found me after Asgard defeated Jotunheim, cast out to die because I was a runt. So he took me in and raised me as his own. I… didn't react very well to finding out."

Valkyrie arched an eyebrow. "What exactly did you do?"

"Oh, just a little treason," Loki mumbled. "I tried to destroy Jotunheim. I may have tried to take over Midgard before setting my sights on Asgard. I did manage to take Odin's place for four years."

Valkyrie barked out a laugh. "You've got guts, boy."

Loki blinked. " _Boy_?"

"I was one of Asgard's top warriors before you were a twinkle in the Allfather's eye, Loki," she pointed out.

Loki conceded the point with a nod, taking another drink. "What's your real name, anyway?"

Valkyrie stiffened. "I prefer Valkyrie."

"And I prefer Odinson to Laufeyson – it doesn't mean they're not both equally valid."

"You wouldn't care to know."

Loki leaned forward. "I'm trying something new. Tell me – please."

She pursed her lips, but eventually relented. "Brunnhilde."

"Brunnhilde," Loki repeated, drawing it out. "Well, I've heard worse."

She blinked at him, wonder creeping into her eyes. "You just managed to make it sound pretty."

Loki sat back with a smirk. "It's a talent, Brunnhilde."

In a heartbeat, she had a knife unsheathed and aimed at him. "Stop calling me that."

He held his hands up. "Sorry. But I think you need a name that's solely yours."

She lowered the knife. "I'm open to suggestions."

Loki thought for a moment. "Valki?"

She snorted. "Maybe when we're dating. I'll agree to Val."

A grin tugged at Loki's mouth. "When?"

Val pointed at the door. "Out."

Loki backed towards the door. "I'll keep this in mind, Val."

A knife whizzed past his head to lodge in the wall. "Out!"

Loki slipped out and shut the door. Sensing something, he spun around. "Thor! Heimdall."

The two men stood with laughter on their faces. "She's a keeper, all right," Heimdall said.

Thor slung his arm over Loki's shoulders and began to lead him away. "Now, brother, the trick to flirting is this…"

-MCU-

Valkyrie peeked out of her room. The brothers were disappearing down the corridor, but Heimdall remained. He smiled softly at her. "You care for him."

She huffed. "He needs to be taught some manners."

"As I recall, you were the first to mention courtship."

Valkyrie narrowed her eyes at him. "You were listening."

He dipped his head. "I watch members of the royal family constantly. Especially under our current circumstances."

Valkyrie relaxed a little. "The people need their king, and their king needs his brother."

"And the prince needs to know he is loved. As do you, I believe."

She looked down. "He is attractive," she mumbled. "And I guess we do have our similarities."

Heimdall began to walk away, leaving her with her thoughts. "In my experience, sometimes that is all it takes. This ship is a new beginning for both of you – perhaps you should embrace that."

* * *

A/N: I may continue this, should the inspiration strike me. Considering I'm seeing the movie two more times in the next few days, it should. At least, I hope it does.

I know Valki is on of their ship names, but I like it better as a cutesy nickname for her.


	2. Fighting Lesson

A/N: Just a little timeline note - for the sake of this story, I'm gonna pretend that they were flying for days or even weeks before they ran into Thanos's ship, even though I suspect it was the same day canonically.

* * *

For once, Loki was trying to listen to Thor's advice, but they were interrupted. "Loki!"

He turned, surprised to see Val standing at the end of the hallway. "Yes?"

She beckoned. "Come with me."

Thor released his grip on Loki's shoulders. "Then again, maybe you won't be the one doing the flirting," he murmured.

Loki shot a glare at him and went to follow Val as she walked away. "Where are we going?" he asked.

She tossed him a dagger. "I'm going to teach you how to fight."

He looked at the dagger. "I already know how to fight, Val."

She laughed. "I kicked your butt with ease, Loki. Maybe you can beat your average thug, but anyone I'm going to choose to care about is going to learn how to defend themselves against _me_."

With a simple thought, Loki transformed the dagger into a wicked scepter. "That's why my mother taught me magic."

Val whirled around and grabbed his dagger-wielding hand. She yanked him forward and pulled his arm to the side as he stumbled, forcing him to turn his back on her. Then she pulled his arm to the other side, pushing it up until his shoulder screamed and he couldn't hold onto the dagger anymore. It clattered to the ground, losing its magical form, and she pressed her own against his throat.

"Magic doesn't always work," she hissed in his ear.

"All right, I get it," Loki rasped.

"Good."

She released him and Loki stumbled forward, bringing his arm back to a normal position. He rubbed his wrist and rolled his shoulder, reminded of practically every training session with his brother.

He turned back to her. "Look, Val-"

"No!" she snapped, whipping her dagger up to point at him. "I lost everything once before, Odinson. Now this ship, Hulk, your brother, _you_ are my everything, and I will _not_ lose you. I've already agreed to teach the civilians how to fight, and I'll train them well, but if you want to even think about courting me, I will teach you how to defeat your brother. Deal?"

With a light touch, Loki moved her dagger away. "Why didn't you phrase it like that in the first place?"

She laughed.

-MCU-

Loki dropped onto the ground with a groan, slumping back against the wall. He was bruised and bleeding and ached all over; his leather had been discarded, leaving him in a sweat-soaked, short-sleeved black shirt and pants. When Val came and knelt next to him, a damp cloth in her hands, he was both annoyed and awed that she was barely sweating and hardly injured.

"How?" he rasped, taking a swig of his water.

"Like I said," she said, pressing the cloth to a cut on his lip, "I've been doing this since long before you were born."

"Ow!" he exclaimed as fiery pain erupted in the cut. "What's on that cloth?"

"Alcohol," she said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "What did you think was on it?"

"Water!"

She chuckled. "Nope. Now stop being a baby and let me clean you up."

Loki settled back and let her, too tired to really protest outside of grunts and hisses of pain. "Did you treat all your trainees this way?"

"No," she said, pulling up his shirt to look at his ribs. "I was gentler because I was a different person back then. Besides, they had the other Valkyrie and Asgard's army to back them up; we have only the people on this ship."

Loki swallowed back another pained noise as she carefully dabbed at a bloody scrape. "Well, please, do your best to remember that gentler person right now."

She paused in her ministrations to look him in the eye. "I did take it too far," she admitted. "I'm sorry, Loki."

He shook his head, wincing at the pain the movement caused. "I understand taking things too far. Let's just agree to learn from our mistakes when we do that."

Val nodded. "Agreed."

Loki tilted his head and realized how far away the door seemed. "I don't suppose you would mind helping me to my room?"

In response, she wrapped an arm around his torso and helped him up; he rested his arm over her shoulders to steady himself. Loki probably could've walked on his own and they both knew it, but he appreciated the warm, supportive touch of another being – as, he suspected, did Val. So he leaned on her and she took his weight as they went to his room. It had the same furnishings has hers, minus the bottles of alcohol, with one exception.

"Why is your bed bigger than mine?"

Loki laid down on it, sighing as pressure eased off his bruised ribs. "Because I'm now heir to the throne, such as it is, and you're not."

Val settled at his feet, poking the mattress. "Mine is comfier."

"You keep telling yourself that."

She gave a noncommittal grunt before falling silent for a moment. Then: "What's Earth like?"

Loki shrugged. "Not very technologically advanced, but Thor is popular there, and he's friends with one of Earth's richest and most influential men. It will be a good place for you to settle down, at least for a while."

Val narrowed her eyes at him. "You sound as if you won't be staying."

He avoided her gaze. "I wasn't gentle about trying to conquer the humans – I likely won't be welcome. If Earth's leaders think anything like me, I suspect your ability to reside there will be contingent upon my exile from their planet."

She twirled a knife in one hand. "I won't let that happen."

"You can't stop it. I won't stand between the Asgardians and an actual planet to live on."

"It's my duty to protect you."

He sat up again, pinning her with his gaze. "Your duty is to the people, Valkyrie. You will not place my safety above theirs."

She pursed her lips but dipped her head. "As you wish, my prince."

For the first time in his life, the formality made him wince. "You don't have to call me that."

"I do when I'm being given an order. Good night, Your Highness."

"Wait," he called as she started to leave, "that's not- well, that is what I meant, but- Val, I've spent years trying to put my life above everyone else's, and all it did was cause me pain. I've been tortured, lonely, and my actions caused the deaths of my parents and many innocents – I don't wish to put you in a place to choose between me and anyone else."

She stopped, turning her head until he could see her profile. "That's what I did in that first battle against Hela," she murmured. "I put my life above my sisters' lives, and they all died for it."

"And the guilt is overwhelming, isn't it? So much so that you try to numb the pain with various vices, but it never works, does it?"

"No," she conceded quietly.

"Maybe it's selfish of me," Loki murmured, "to make you enforce my decision to die or be exiled rather than endanger the civilians, but if I leave you with the choice, would it not be worse? We're acquaintances now, maybe friends, and the decision is already difficult enough – as time wears on? If we become more?"

Val turned to him with a decisive nod. "Then we should make the most of the time we have. Just in case."

Loki's eyebrows rose. "You want to-? Now?"

She laughed. "No, Loki. Maybe someday, but I think for tonight, platonically sharing a bed will do. To ward off the nightmares."

"It wasn't your fault, you know," Loki said.

Val furrowed her eyebrows. "What?"

"The Valkyrie. You couldn't have done anything to save them."

She crossed her arms. "Maybe not. But I could have died with them."

"You could have," Loki agreed. "But if it's any consolation, I'm rather glad you didn't."

She smiled a little. "Maybe that is a little consoling."

He shifted to the other side of the bed, giving her plenty of room to lay down. He shifted to get under the covers, closing his eyes as he snuggled into them. As he drifted off, the only sound was their breathing, which gradually fell in sync.

He had known her for mere weeks, and only talked to her for a day or two of that, but in that moment, he felt as if she had always been there and always would be.

It was only when he was tipping over the verge of falling asleep that he felt her twine her fingers into his hair. In the quietest of breaths, she promised, "I will protect you for as long as I can, my friend."


	3. Magic Lesson

A/N: So I was originally treating this as a series of one-shots that gets updated whenever I feel like for as long as I feel like, hence why it's marked as complete even though I'm adding to it, but I actually have an ending in mind now. So I'm going to mark this as incomplete, and I've got a few more chapters planned (and maybe more ideas will come to me) and then you'll know when I get to the end.

* * *

The ship lurching woke up the pair. They bolted upright, exchanged a glance, and ran for the bridge.

"Thor, what's happening?" he demanded as they arrived.

His brother was in the chair, Heimdall beside him and holding the back of it for stability. "We must cross an asteroid field," Thor replied.

"Is there no way around?" Val inquired as another impact shook the ship.

Thor shook his head. "It's too vast, and we must go this way to reach Earth." With a frustrated noise, he stood and turned to start pacing, but came up short when his gaze landed on Loki. "What happened to you?"

Loki glanced down at himself and abruptly pulled on a glamour to hide his injuries. The pain had all but disappeared, and they would heal by the day's end, but it was best to look strong in the meantime. "Nothing."

Thor's fist clenched. "You weren't attacked, were you?"

"No, Thor, nothing like that," Loki assured him.

"He speaks the truth, my king," Heimdall added. Thankfully, he didn't elaborate, but Val's poorly-hidden smirk probably would've given it away to almost anyone else.

"Good," Thor said, calming. "But if you do have any problems, tell me."

"I can-" _-handle myself,_ he'd been about to say. _You're not fighting alone anymore,_ he reminded himself. Reluctantly, he let the glamour fall away. "I'll tell one of you," he said, gesturing at Heimdall and Val as well.

Thor smiled. "Thank you, brother."

Another impact jolted them. A newcomer gasped as she was thrown against the wall, and the small group of leaders turned to face her. She was short and dark-skinned, silver strands weaving elegantly through her dark hair. Realizing she had caught their attention, she straightened up and smoothed her dress before sinking into a respectful kneel.

"Your Majesty," she greeted.

"Please, stand," Thor invited. "What brings you here?"

She rose. "My name is Eir, sir, and I am a healer."

"How are the people?" Thor asked.

"There are only a few major injuries," Eir reported, "and they are healing nicely. However, we will need to collect more medical supplies soon, and the people are anxious. This is a stressful situation, and with the ship being battered…"

"Understandable," Thor said. The king glanced at the people in the room. "Any suggestions on how we might ease their minds?"

Loki looked at Val. "You spoke of battle training."

She shook her head. "With the ship shaking like this, the risk for injury is too great."

"We have teachers onboard," Heimdall pointed out. "The routine of school could help the children."

Thor nodded. "Yes, that would work. But what of the rest of the adults?"

Val pointed at Loki. "Magic training."

"What?" Loki exclaimed.

"It's too dangerous to practice fighting, but magic could be useful as well," Val said. "A few simple tricks for protection. You know, like concealment or something."

"First of all, they're not 'tricks,' I simply use them that way," Loki retorted. "Learning even the simplest concealment spell takes a great deal of concentration."

"No, I like this idea," Thor cut in. "Even when Asgard was at its peak, your magic was second only to Mother's, Loki. Our people could benefit from your tutelage."

Loki held back a sigh. "All right, I'll try. I can only teach a few at a time, though – the rest will have to find other means of distraction." He looked back to Eir. "Find me a handful of the smartest, most unflappable people on this boat. We meet in an hour."

Eir glanced at Thor to make sure she should follow his order, then curtseyed and left to obey.

Loki crossed his arms, recognizing the glance for what it was. "Let's just hope they listen to me."

Val rested a hand on his elbow. "I'll go with you and aim a knife at them if they don't. Now, you're going to need a lesson plan, some breakfast, and a proper shirt."

-MCU-

An hour later, Loki was back in his leather and resisting the urge to sit on Thor's makeshift throne. Val had dragged a few chairs into the room, but they were hard and had no cushion, unlike the throne. She had sprawled out across two of them, a bottle in hand, while Loki was struggling to find a position that didn't make his back or ribs ache.

"Relax," Val said. "You were only bad for, what, six years? That's nothing to Asgardians."

"I was _very_ bad," Loki corrected. "And I did spend four of those years impersonating their beloved king."

"Pfft, they'll get over that," Val said dismissively, taking a swig of her drink.

"Like hell we will."

Loki stood up as four Asgardians entered the room. He recognized the two men, Alf and Gunnarr, from his childhood – they had been highly respected warriors before retiring. Alf, the speaker, was tall, his white hair swept back into a ponytail; Gunnarr was broad, formidable despite being one of shortest people Loki had ever known. They looked at him with a challenge in their eyes, their very stances.

"Alf, Gunnarr," he said, his tone clipped but respectful. "I am pleased to see you here."

"We ain't pleased to see you," Gunnarr growled.

"Why are you back?" Alf asked, his chin held high as he attempted to look down on the prince.

"To help my brother and our people," Loki replied. "Just as I did for over a thousand years."

"Yeah, right before you decided to turn your back on us all."

Loki stepped off the raised platform to look Alf in the eye. "I walked entirely on the wrong side of the law for a few years, yes, and many suffered for it. I assure you, I have realized the error of my ways."

"I can't believe Thor just let you back in," Gunnarr grumbled.

Val was on her feet in an instant, stalking towards him. "Show our king some respect, old man."

The men looked at her as if noticing her presence for the first time, and their eyes went wide as they took in her distinctive armor. But it was the women, young and blonde and identical, who gasped.

"You're a Valkyrie," they breathed in awed unison.

"Yes, and I am sworn to defend the throne. From anyone," she added sharply, slowly twirling her knife in her fingers.

Alf bowed his head and stepped back, accepting her support of Odin's sons. Gunnarr was not so wise.

"I will respect our king, but not this- this Frost Giant!"

Loki froze to hide a flinch. Val snarled. In a blur of movement, she had Gunnarr on his knees with her hand wrapped around his throat.

"Speak such insults again, and I will ensure you never insult another," she whispered dangerously, glowering down at the man. "Prince Loki has changed his ways, that I promise you."

"If you do not respect the promise of a Valkyrie and our prince, both of whom did far more to save us yesterday than your pathetic hide did, then you are no more than a fool," one of the women stated. She and her twin bowed to Val. "I am Hildr, and this is Signy. I was named after one of your sisters."

Val smiled at Hildr. "I know the Valkyrie you speak of – you are a worthy namesake."

Hildr grinned.

Loki put a finger on Val's shoulder, lightly guiding her back from Gunnarr. "Any further protests?" he asked, looking down at Gunnarr.

His face was a mask of suppressed frustration, but he shook his head. "No, sir."

Loki stepped back, lifting his hands to begin demonstrating a small concealment spell. "Excellent. Now that we have this settled, let's get on with the lesson, shall we?"

Val stood beside him for a few minutes longer, arms crossed, just to make sure they knew she meant business. When she was certain they were all focused on the listen, she retreated to her chairs and watched Loki work his magic. He even seemed to have a gentle teacher side, patiently explaining when they asked questions, and quick to soothe when they got frustrated.

It was an aspect of someone she hadn't seen in a long time, and she felt a soft smile grow on her face as she watched this particular man display it.

* * *

A/N: So I don't know for sure if normal Asgardians can actually just learn magic, I'm just guessing they can because Frigga taught Loki her own magic even though they're not biologically related. And even if it's not canon, well, neither is this ship. Tis the beauty of fanfic.


	4. The Marketplace

A/N: Two chapters in a day! Well, technically it's after midnight, but still. And this one's even a few hundred words longer than the others!

* * *

"Loki!"

Thor paused on his way into the room, arching his eyebrow as he spotted the four Asgardians with invisible hands. "Well, this looks familiar."

"You agreed to have me 'chop' off your hand," Loki pointed out. "In fact, it was _your_ idea."

"Perhaps," Thor allowed, clapping him on the shoulder. "But you can't say you didn't enjoy it."

Loki spread his hands in concession. "What brother doesn't dream of stabbing their sibling at one point or another?"

Thor chuckled. "You four can go for today," he told the students. "I have a task for Loki."

Gunnarr sped out fastest. "If you can't make your hands reappear, just take a nap!" Loki called after them.

The twins paused. "What's that going to do?" Hildr asked.

Loki tapped his head. "When you're conscious, you're always thinking about the magic, and when you're new to controlling it, that can make it difficult to cut it off. Unconsciousness will force you to stop thinking about the magic."

Signy nodded, and the duo left. Only then did Loki turn to his brother. "What task?"

Thor dropped the humor for responsibility. "It will take this ship several weeks to reach Earth, and we do not have the necessary supplies. Heimdall has found a commerce planet nearby, and I wish for the two of you to go there and purchase what we need."

"Any particular reason you're sending us?" Val asked. "I'm sure there are civilians who could do this."

"I don't doubt that," Thor said. "However, this planet isn't the nicest place. I would prefer to send in Loki's negotiation ability and your fighting ability."

Loki sighed. "All right. What do we have to barter with?"

Thor laughed nervously before leading them to a small room with piles of stuff. Loki stopped at what he found.

"Thor, this is junk."

"It was all our people had." Thor bent and picked up a simple golden necklace with a pendant. "This was given to me by a woman who told me it had been in her family for ten generations."

Loki took it, inspecting it. "Well, it's pure gold. This should be worth a few days' worth of food."

"We need medical supplies, too," Val pointed out, reaching for a shimmery sash. "This cloth, even made of this fine silk, won't buy too much of those."

"We can ration food," Thor said. "And reserve most of the medicine for the old, children, and very sick. But we need as much as you can buy, and I want to leave this area quickly."

Loki picked a couple burlap sacks off the floor and handed one to Val. "I can only guarantee we'll do our best, Thor."

Thor smiled grimly, looking down at a small stuffed animal probably given up by a well-meaning child. "That is all I can ask, brother."

As Thor left, Val began digging through the piles. Loki hesitated, looking at the offerings before them. She glanced at him. "We both know there won't be enough here to justify two bags."

"No," Loki agreed quietly. He ran a hand through his hair.

And an idea popped into his head.

"Here." He handed her the necklace. "Keep filling your bag. I'll be right back."

"Where the hell are you going?" she called after him.

He ignored her, pressing on before he could change his mind.

-MCU-

Half an hour later, they were landing the ship's sole shuttle just outside the largest commerce area. Before they left, Loki cast a glamour over the pair of them, dirtying their bags and hiding their elaborate clothing – it was best to look ordinary in a place such as this, not too rich and not too poor. Then they headed into the marketplace.

It was chaos. The "streets" were narrow, and clogged with vendors, buyers, and beggars. Large rodents scampered around beneath their feet; further tripping hazards included children racing around and a variety of round objects rolling. Criminals slouched against shadowy walls, watching people with keen eyes as they smoked and drank. The place reeked of garbage, and the din hurt his ears. Loki swallowed down his disgust.

"We shouldn't go in too deep," he murmured to Val. She nodded agreement, one hand hovering near her dagger.

They stopped at various venders, managing to collect a meager amount of bandages, painkillers, disinfectant, and fever reducers that slowly replaced the objects in Val's sack. But none of the stalls they walked past were selling nonperishable foods in significant amounts. Until, after four hours, they found one.

Unlike most of the people there, this man ran an entire building. One peek through the windows showed masses of food stacked on wooden shelves. Exchanging a glance, Loki and Val headed for him.

"Greetins," the man drawled. He was humanoid, greasy-haired and yellow-skinned. He took a drag of his pipe before speaking again. "Wha' can I help ya wif today?"

Loki gestured at the nearest shelf. "How much for that shelf's contents?"

The man turned slowly, chewing his pipe as he appraised the shelf. "500 units," he finally decided. "Or the equivalent in goods."

Hidden from the man's gaze, Loki rubbed his fingers together. At that price, they would never be able to afford enough to feed the Asgardians, even on rations. Even giving up all of Val's remaining items, plus all of the medical supplies, would give them a quarter of the supply at most.

"I'll pay 250."

The man laughed. "If yer serious abou' tha', ge' outta here."

Loki raised his chin. "Would I get a discount if I purchased multiple shelves of your stock?"

The man smirked. "Yeah. Then it'd be 499 units apiece."

Out of the corner of his eye, Loki saw Val look around. She drummed her fingers against her dagger's hilt, and he suddenly realized where her thoughts were heading. He took her hand for a moment and leaned towards the man, suppressing a shudder as his other hand sank into a layer of grime on the bench between them.

"What would a one-of-a-kind piece of headgear get me?" he asked quietly.

The man straightened curiously. "Describe it."

Loki squeezed Val's hand before removing his. "It's both for battle and showing off. The center is made of the universe's strongest metal, and it's covered in a generous layer of gold. It comes from the belongings of the heir to Asgard's throne."

Val's eyes widened as he continued, and a greedy smile grew on the man's face. "There's no way ye've go' somethin' like tha'."

Slowly, Loki slid his sack off his shoulders, hiding it between his body and the wall. Only then did he pull out the one thing within it – his horned helmet.

The man tried to snatch it from him, but Loki gripped it tight. "Food first."

The man nodded, opening the gate to let the duo in before reaching up to his sign and flipping it to the side that read "Closed" in a dozen languages. "Take it all, mate."

"How are we supposed to carry all of this?" Val asked.

Loki lifted his hands. "Like this."

With a few gestures made while picturing the ship's large, empty bridge, Loki made every container of food vanish at once in a flash of green light.

Val blinked. "Handy."

"Mother thought so."

They slipped back onto the streets and began heading for the ship. Loki rolled his shoulders, hating the lightness of his empty sack. Val took hold of his hand. "How important was that to you?" she asked quietly.

He ran a hand through his hair again. "It was Mother's coming-of-age present to me," he murmured. "I had many copies made over the years, but that one… That one was the original."

She smiled sympathetically at him. "You know, back on Sakaar, I never would've taken you for such a selfless guy. Or such a patient teacher."

Loki shrugged. "You can thank Mother for that, I suppose. She was always my favorite teacher. And the selflessness… Well, I guess I'm just trying to prove that I want to be there for my people. For my brother."

"For what it's worth," Val said, "I think it's working."

A retort about how she had hardly spoken to the civilians rose to his tongue, but died when he laid eyes on a stall full of medicine. "What do we have left?"

Val rummaged through her sack and pulled out the necklace. "Just this."

Loki looked at it, then up at the stall. "I don't think we need that."

"What-"

He lifted his hands and performed the same spell. In a moment, the medicine had all disappeared. Val smirked, but one the stall's three massive, heavily muscled vendors spotted him. "Hey! Bring that back!"

"Run," Loki hissed.

Val was quick to obey. Loki followed, using further bursts of magic to clear a path through the hordes. The vendors gave chase, but Loki was quick to snap shut the path he had cleared, leaving them to struggle through the people. They put on a final burst of speed to reach the shuttle and scrambled into their seats. Val stabbed the start button and Loki slammed forward the speed lever. In a burst of flames, they fled the planet, almost crashing into their ship's shuttle bay.

The duo laughed the whole way.

"You're insane!" Val exclaimed.

Loki smirked. "No. I'm the God of Mischief."

They took hold of each other's hands again as they stumbled out of the shuttle, breathless but still laughing. Thor was very confused as he took their sacks from them.

"Well done," he said slowly. "Did you two get high or something?"

"High on life!" Val announced happily. She began to half-lead, half-drag Loki away, but he balked.

"Hold on," he said, realizing he still held the necklace. He turned and handed it to his brother. "I think this belongs to one family, and one family only."

Before Thor could do more than look at it in shock, Val pulled him into the hallway and pinned him against the wall. "Have I ever mentioned that I rather like bad boys with golden hearts?"

"Em, no."

"Well, I'm telling you now," she whispered into his ear. Loki met her gaze, both hating and loving that _he_ was the one being teased. Then she pushed away from the wall. "And now, I'm going to go celebrate our victory by getting very drunk."

Loki jogged after her. "I think I could use a drink, too." _To forget what I just gave up._

He almost ran a hand through his hair, but Val caught it, her gaze serious again. "Your mother would be proud, Loki. So will Thor, when he realizes." She paused, then added, "So am I."

Loki smiled. "Thank you, Val."

She smiled back. And for a moment, they just held hands and appreciated the other's presence.

* * *

A/N: Yeah, it was about time I dipped back into Loki's mischievous side - he may be good, but he's still Loki, our beloved trickster.


	5. The Assassin

A/N: I watched the movie for the 3rd time today and part of this popped into my head while watching Heimdall's scenes, so there's gonna be some Heimdall love in this chapter, because we all need more Heimdall in our lives.

Also, this chapter is definitely rated T, cause it gets fairly bloody.

* * *

As a fist collided with his jaw, Loki staggered backwards. He exaggerated the movement, dropping to one knee with a dramatic grunt. His opponent didn't hesitate to lift a leg to kick him. Loki grabbed her foot and yanked it towards him, sending her crashing to the ground. Casting a spell to immobilize her legs, he surged forward, caught her wrists in one hand and pinned them to the ground above her head. To seal the deal, he hovered a knife over her throat.

"I win," he declared.

Val struggled a moment longer, but his hold was strong. "So you do," she eventually conceded.

Loki holstered his knife and stood, triumph putting a bounce in his movements. Val sat up and extended her hand, silently asking him to help her up. He only took a step back. "I practically invented that trick, Val."

She huffed as she stood by herself, but there was pride in a suppressed smile. "You're learning."

"Learning? I _beat_ you."

Val brushed off her armor. "You beat me _once,_ Loki. Once in two weeks of these sessions."

Loki spun his knife. "Care to make it twice?"

She chuckled. "I admire the bravado, but we're both tired. I spend all day teaching fight classes, you spend all day teaching magic classes, and then we come here to fight each other. We should rest."

Loki nodded, holstering his knife. "True."

They clasped hands and squeezed, lingering over the contact. This had become their traditional goodbye, both parties wanting more but reluctant to move forward. They would reach Earth in two weeks, and then Loki would be set adrift again, alone and homeless.

"Good night, Loki," Val eventually murmured, a stiff edge to her voice. She released his hand, and Loki only stood in silence as she walked away.

 _You want her kept at a distance,_ he tried to tell himself. _It's better for her in the long run._

It wasn't much comfort.

When he was certain she was gone, Loki left the room. He trudged to his quarters, a yawn overtaking him. But before he could turn the final corner to reach his quarters, he sensed something and stopped short.

In a heartbeat, someone jumped around the corner and slashed the side of his neck. Loki's cry of pain turned into a choked gasp for air. He slapped a hand over the wound, horrified to find it already slick with blood.

Worse, his finger slid into a gash in his windpipe.

He fell to his knees, his chest heaving desperately. Out of the corner of his blurring vision, he dimly registered movement. Already too disoriented to use his knife, he just flung a jagged bolt of magic at his attacker. He hit them somewhere, and they went down with a scream.

But not before they sunk their knife into his gut.

Loki collapsed onto his back. He tried to shriek in agony. All that came out was a gurgled rasp.

 _Th-think, Odinson. What's the worst?_

The knife was still in his abdomen, so there wouldn't be so much bleeding there. Of course, if the assassin had cut his artery, a little more bleeding elsewhere would hardly matter. So the question was, would it take longer to bleed out or suffocate?

He couldn't remember the answer, but another idea came to him.

With his free hand, he grabbed a fistful of his shirt and clenched it to ground himself. Then he closed his eyes and focused all of his meager healing magic into the hand over his neck. Between the blood loss, pain, and his lack of focus on the art of healing, his aim was clumsy. He tried to shut the hole in his windpipe, but some of the healing leached into his artery, shoving some of the shed blood back in. Which wasn't entirely a bad thing, he supposed, but it wouldn't help his feeble excuse of a plan much.

After what felt like an eternity, the hole was sealed enough for him to gasp in breaths. His strength was disappearing rapidly – he could no longer hold onto his shirt, and he couldn't open his eyes. Still, he kept trying to pour healing magic into himself. Though he couldn't tell if it was making a difference.

He summoned his last shreds of strength to rasp one word: "H-heimd-dall."

After that, all he could do was keep fighting for air and consciousness.

-MCU-

Heimdall was standing beside the throne, watching the stars, when he felt something tug at him. He frowned and aimed his thoughts inwards, searching for the source. Sitting on the throne, Thor noticed his expression but said nothing. Heimdall gave up on searching for what he'd heard and spread his gaze around the ship, searching room by room for something amiss.

He gasped when he found it.

"What is it?" Thor demanded, rising to his feet.

There was no time for the chain of command – he gave his king an order. "Find the Valkyrie and this ship's best healers and send them to Loki's room. Do it _now._ "

Terror jolted through the king and he raced away. Heimdall ran in the other direction as fast as he could. As soon as he rounded the final corner, he threw himself onto his knees and pressed his hands over Loki's neck. The prince flinched at the sudden touch, hardly more than flicker of his closed eyelids.

"Loki, look at me," Heimdall commanded.

Loki's head twitched.

"Yes, you can," Heimdall encouraged him. "You did not survive your murderous sister just to be assassinated by a civilian."

His throat tensed beneath Heimdall's palm, but all that came out was a feeble moan.

Heimdall decided to try a different tactic. "Valkyrie is coming," he told the wounded prince. "You do not want to sacrifice your time with her. Not like this."

That worked. Loki gave a strained grunt, and slowly, painfully slowly, his eyes flickered open. They were glassy and unfocused, but they were open.

"Good job, my boy," Heimdall praised. "She's almost here, as are your brother and healers. Just stay with me."

Relief flashed in his gaze, and his head twitched again – this time, in a nod.

-MCU-

Val sprinted through the ship, all exhaustion forgotten. Her strides ate up the ground between her and Loki. Thor hadn't mentioned how badly he was injured – not that she'd given him a chance before running off – but she assumed, given that even Heimdall had sounded panicked delivering an order to his king, that it was bad. More than bad, but at the moment, her mind had blanked of all synonyms.

The first thing she saw as she neared the corridor was a man sprawled on the ground. His left calf was slashed open and bleeding. The wound didn't look fatal, but he was clutching it, agony written across his face and in his whimpers. Val took in the blood splattered across his uninjured face and neck, and she instantly put together what the man had done. Hardly slowing her momentum, she kicked him viciously in the face, instantly silencing his pathetic noises. Then she turned the corner.

"Loki!" she cried.

His face was ashen, the blood it should contain seeping into a massive pool around his head and shoulder. The sight of the knife still in his gut sent another bolt of rage through her, but there was nothing to be done about it without potentially causing more damage. The look he aimed at her was simultaneously relieved and terrified, stabbing her heart. One of his hands was pressed beneath both of Heimdall's, a faint green glow emanating from the cracks between their fingers. His other was draped limply over his stomach, and it twitched towards her.

"I'm here," she told him. She moved to kneel beside him, picking up his free hand and pressing a kiss to the back of it. His fingers curled around her, with no strength to grip her. She squeezed for him, resting her cheek against their joined hands. For the first time in a long time, she could feel tears for another being stinging her eyes. One managed to slip out, sliding down to spread across their fingers.

She smiled through those tears and rested a hand in his hair. "I'm here," she repeated softly. "Just stay here with me. Please."

It may have been her imagination, but the glow of magic keeping him alive seemed to get a little brighter.

-MCU-

Loki bolted upright with a gasp.

At least, he tried to. In reality, his head made it about half an inch off the pillow it rested on before agony seared through his neck and abdomen, stopping him cold. The gasp just turned into a cough that added more pain to the miserable mix.

"Shh," Val soothed. She sat on his right, his hand held tightly in hers. "You're in the healing center."

Loki looked around. It was a small room with a handful of beds and carts of equipment. A couple other patients occupied the room, with their own loved ones sitting at their sides. Some of the nurses were cleaning sharp-edged equipment, but the room was devoid of assassins. He relaxed a little.

Thor sat on his left, one careful hand on his shoulder pushing him back down. "You're safe," he assured Loki. "The would-be assassin was questioned, and he quickly gave up that a man named Gunnarr hired him. Both men will be punished accordingly."

Loki just gave a little thumbs-up, reluctant to risk a nod. Thor chuckled, the sound heavy with relief. "You did learn something from Earth after all."

Loki rolled his eyes at his brother. When he opened his mouth to make a sarcastic retort, Val put a finger over his lips.

"Speaking will hurt for a while," she told him. "You didn't have enough energy left to heal completely, even with the magic of others. You're lucky to be alive – save the sarcasm for later, all right?"

Loki closed his mouth in assent. He pointed at the pained spot on his abdomen.

"The knife didn't hit any organs, thank the gods," Thor said. "If it had…"

Loki squeezed Val's hand, but she only ducked her head to avoid looking at him. He furrowed his brows at her. Then he pointed at Thor and mimed drinking.

"Ah, yes, water. I'll go get you some," Thor said. He patted Loki's shoulder before leaving.

Loki looked back at Val. Carefully and very quietly, he asked, "What?" It still hurt, and so did swallowing the resulting cough.

She looked at their joined hands. "I don't think I can do this. Us. Whatever us is."

He tried to bring her hand up to his lips, but she pulled away. "No," she rasped. "If I can't stand to lose you now, it'll only be worse in two weeks. And I can't- I just started caring about people again, Loki. I can't lose anyone again that quickly. Not when I feel this way about them. So I think it's best if we keep our distance."

With that, she half-ran out of the room. Loki could only reach futilely for her, cursing his lack of voice.

She brushed past Thor on his way back in. He looked after her as he made his way back to Loki's side. "What did you do to her?"

Loki just gestured in frustration at his neck and spent the rest of the day ignoring his brother's attempts to cheer him up.

* * *

A/N: I originally was gonna have them end up snuggling together some more, but I think this worked better. As much as I didn't like writing it because they both need happiness in their lives.

(And yeah, I definitely took liberties with the medical aspect of that injury from a human perspective, but they're magical Asgardians and I'm a writer, not a doctor. And yes, that was totally a Star Trek reference right there.)


	6. The Cure

A/N: Another somewhat shorter chapter, but there's some more Loki whump, so yay!

* * *

Loki stared apprehensively at the descent before them. "I should have stayed in the shuttle," he muttered, his voice still weak and raspy.

In the four days since the attempt on his life, an illness had swept through the Asgardians like wildfire. It started with dizzy spells, turned into a low fever, and then into partial paralysis that varied from victim to victim. So far, half of the commoners had it, and while none of them had died yet, it could only be a matter of time. Before falling ill herself, Eir had told Thor of an herb that might cure it. Heimdall had located a planet on which the herb grew, which was where Thor, Loki, and Val currently stood.

They had landed the shuttle in a clearing on the edge of a vast forest – it was the closest they could get to the herb. It had left them with the job of trekking through miles of huge trees and dense undergrowth to find what they needed, a task Loki had been wary of undertaking before seeing the steep, rocky slope they now had to climb down.

"Nonsense," Thor said, looking around for the safest way down. "Your healer said you needed the fresh air and exercise."

Loki touched the bandages still affixed to his neck. "No, she said I needed to stay away from the illness and walk around a little. She did _not_ tell me to go traipsing through the woods for hours on end while being bitten by bugs every other step."

"Well, you should've worn long sleeves," Val said.

Loki huffed. "I'm so sorry the one long-sleeved shirt I had was ruined as I lay dying in a pool of my own blood."

Val crossed her arms and said nothing. She had hardly spoken to him since walking out, and he suspected she had only ever been in the same room as him because protecting him and Thor was her job.

"Val-" he started.

"Don't get familiar," she warned sharply. Loki closed his mouth and turned to Thor, who just clapped a hand over his shoulder.

"She also didn't tell me to go down a steep cliff when I still can't look down to watch where I'm putting my feet."

Thor picked a path that started with a short, gentle slope that he slid down easily. Stepping back a bit, he turned back to where Loki and Val waited. "I'm not leaving you up here to walk back there alone, Loki. Come on," he urged gently. "We won't let you fall."

Loki sighed and inched forward. "I hate you."

"I know. Now slide."

He slid his foot forward until he felt the drop, then brought his other foot forward and finally slid. He wobbled as he hit flat ground, but Thor grabbed his elbow. Val was a heartbeat behind him, putting herself between him and the edge.

"See, that wasn't so bad, was it?"

Loki rolled his eyes. "Just keep moving."

He did, and after about ten minutes, they were on flat ground again. Loki let out a breath of relief before following his brother deeper into the woods. His stomach ached a bit and his neck throbbed and he was struggling to keep up with Thor's pace, but he stayed quiet. Eventually, they found a clump of the herb they were searching for.

Thor knelt to begin picking it, but Loki nudged him aside. "Let me do a tracking spell first."

He crouched and put a finger on one of the plants. Closing his eyes, he concentrated on its composition. He sent out a pulse of green magic to search the forest floor for more. "Over there," he said, pointing at the largest clump he could find nearby. "About fifty paces."

"All right. Loki, you stay here and take care of this patch. Valkyrie and I will find the other."

As they left him alone, Loki shifted to a sitting position and began picking the little blue plants.

-MCU-

Val hated to leave Loki alone on the unknown planet, but part of her was relieved to be away from him. She had started regretting her decision the moment she'd made it, and seeing him weak and subdued only made her feel worse, but it had to be better than going through the effort of taking care of him only to lose him almost immediately, right?

They found the clump he'd told them about and Val knelt to pick it, but Thor put a hand on her shoulder. "We need to talk."

She turned to him. "About what?"

"Why did you stop talking to my brother?"

Val tried to shrug nonchalantly. "The friendship would've ended soon, anyway. I just ended it early."

Thor furrowed his eyebrows. "Why was it going to end?"

"Because the humans won't accept him."

"They will," Thor stated firmly."

"What incentive do they have?" Val countered. "He murdered people. He destroyed one of their most important cities."

"If they wish to maintain their friendship with Asgard, they will have to accept my brother," Thor said. "Asgard may no longer have a formidable army, nor vast sums of riches, but we still have our knowledge, and the humans will want that."

"But can you guarantee they will allow him in? Because if they argue, if they insist that he can't stay, would you really force all of the Asgardians back onto that miserable ship to keep searching for a better home simply to protect one man? Because if you do, then you're not the king I thought you would be."

Thor was taken aback by that, and for a moment he was silent. Then he restarted, his voice lower. "All right, let's say I can't convince the humans and he is banished. Do you really want to give up what time you have left with him?"

"Of course not," Val snapped. "But cutting it off before I get more attached is better."

"Does it?" Thor challenged. "Or does the phrase 'Absence makes the heart grow fonder' hold no truth?"

"What would you even know about how I'm feeling?" Val shot back.

Thor gestured at the stars. "Because I'm in love with a mortal! She's young by human standards, but by ours, the time she has left is but the blink of an eye. I knew this when I met her, I knew this when I felt myself beginning to fall in love with her, and I know this with every moment I am away from her because it is my duty to protect the Nine Realms. Does that stop me from returning to her whenever I have the chance? No. It only makes me treasure what time we have more."

Val stepped back, her anger dissipating. "And what if I can't take that type of pain?"

"If I have learned anything over these last few years, it is that love is pain," Thor murmured. "It is pain, and loss, and sacrifice, and it's nothing you are every truly prepared for. But for every moment of heartbreak, there is a joyous memory to be made. For every sob, there is laughter; for every shouted word, there is a tender touch. When Loki is gone, would you rather remember that happiness, or wonder what could have been?"

Val looked over Thor's shoulder to where Loki sat, alone and injured. Thor must've seen something in her expression, because he just smiled softly. "Go to him; I can take care of these plants."

She dipped her head. "Thank you, my king."

"Thank me by making yourself and my brother happy," he told her.

She nodded and jogged away. Loki was right where they'd left him, except now lying on his back, drowsing, the plants all picked and tucked into a sack. For a moment, she paused, watching him sleep. He looked peaceful, even with the bandages wrapped around his neck, though he was clearly exhausted if he had let himself fall asleep in such an exposed spot.

She walked to him and knelt down to nudge his hand. "Hey, sleepyhead."

He groaned. "Five more minutes."

"Just listen, then," she told him picking up his hand.

At the contact, his eyes blinked open. "Val?"

She settled beside his shoulder and lightly touched the uninjured side of his neck. "I'm sorry," she murmured. "And I don't say that often, so appreciate it. Dumping you like that, when you couldn't even talk… That was a jerk move. And thinking that staying apart would somehow make our lives better… That was stupid."

"Does this mean you want us back?" he checked.

Val flicked a bug off his forehead before slipping her fingers into his hair. "Yes, Loki. I miss you."

He started sitting up, and she quickly moved to brace him. "Does this mean I can use you as a pillow? The ground is really uncomfortable."

She chuckled. "Come here, Mr. Mischief."

"God," he corrected, turning onto his side and resting his head on her thigh. "God of Mischief."

"Whatever," she teased, picking up his hand and playing with his hair. He shot a mock-glare at her before letting his eyes drift shut again.

"Maybe we should have dinner," she mused aloud.

Loki opened his eyes but didn't look at her. "As in a date?"

"I guess," she said. "I just meant that we should probably spend time together that doesn't involve some sort of fighting or survival mission."

"A valid point," he allowed. "But doesn't the man normally ask out the woman?"

"Screw the patriarchy," Val said instantly. "I, Valkyrie, am asking you, Loki, out on a date."

"In that case, I accept." With the way he smiled, though, Val knew that he knew exactly how she would respond to that challenge. For now, she let it slide.

"Good. Now get some rest before your brother drags us back to the shuttle."

Obediently, he closed his eyes, his breaths falling into sleep's slow steadiness after a few seconds. And for a while she just sat there, letting Thor do all the work while she watched over her sleeping prince.


	7. Mealtime Blues

A/N: So, bad news, you guys did _not_ wait longer than usual for a longer-than-usual chapter. On the bright side, though, this didn't go where I was expecting _and_ Tumblr inspired a new idea, so I've got two extra chapters planned now!

Also, to Anvenx and Midnight, _thank you both so much for your reviews._ Thanks, Anvenx, for reviewing every chapter (waking up to 6 reviews was great), and welcome aboard the Lokyrie train - nothing like reading that I made someone ship my OTP to make my day. And thanks, Midnight, for the enthusiasm that I've now read multiple times. And thanks to everyone else who's reviewed this - y'all give me - and this story - life.

* * *

"Here you go," Val said, handing off her sack of herbs to a young healer. Thor started asking after the sick as he handed off both of his; Loki just flashed a smile, his free hand holding his neck.

"Come here," Val said gently, taking his hand and pulling him away. A few of the healers watched the contact and leaned in to whisper conspiratorially to each other. Rather than be annoyed or embarrassed by the attention, a smirk grew on her face.

 _That's right, people –_ I _snagged the heir to Asgard's throne._

 _For however long that lasts,_ the negative side of her pointed out. She gave herself a mental shake and opened the door to Loki's room.

"Go lay down," she told him. A small bowl of broth and a glass of water sat on the table – Heimdall must've had it delivered shortly before their return. "And eat this," she added, dragging the table over to the bed.

Loki just eyed the broth and looked away.

She dipped her finger into the water and flicked the drops onto his face. "I'm going to give you some alone time, and when I come back, that better be gone."

He gave a noncommittal grunt and waved her off.

She didn't really have anything to do, with most of her trainees either being sick or taking care of sick family members, but she left anyway. After some drinking and wandering, she found herself in the throne room, leaning against Thor's chair with her arms crossed while Heimdall stood nearby.

"Is this all you two do?" she asked them.

Heimdall chuckled. "Watching is my job, Valkyrie."

"I go to meetings and stuff," Thor sighed.

"The thrilling tasks of a ruler," Val joked.

Heimdall looked off, deeper into the ship. "Someone should undertake the task of convincing the prince to eat."

Val and Thor exchanged a glance. "He's not?" Thor asked.

"He tries, but it is difficult," Heimdall replied. "He is in pain."

Thor started to stand, but Val stopped him. "I'll take care of him. You keep… staring out the window. Seems fascinating."

"No, really, I can-"

"Nope," Val cut him off. "You have a kingdom to run. Don't think I haven't noticed you neglecting it these last few days."

"My brother nearly died! And I've been balancing my duties just fine, thank you very much."

Val patted his cheek and headed off. "You keep telling yourself that, Your Majesty," she tossed over her shoulder. Heimdall's deep laughter and Thor's high-pitched protests followed her out.

She knocked on Loki's door. "You awake?"

"Maybe," he rasped. She took that as an invitation to enter and stepped inside.

Loki was sitting at the table, eating his food, the bowl already nearly empty. "You eat fast," she remarked. He shrugged, his mouth too full to speak. She strolled up to his side and flicked him right on his injury.

In a wave of green, the bowl refilled and Loki was lying on the bed, avoiding her pointed gaze.

She crossed her arms. "If you're going to try to lie to me, make sure I wasn't just with Heimdall, who's watching you. And set up your illusions faster."

Loki accepted the advice with a tiny nod. Seeing that the hard-edged approach wasn't working, Val dropped her arms with a silent sigh. She sat on the end of the bed. "You need to eat," she said gently.

He shook his head a little and tapped his throat.

"Let me see," she requested, holding her hand out.

He just covered his neck with a protective hand.

"Come on, don't be a baby," she urged. "You need fresh bandages anyway."

Reluctantly, he took her proffered hand and sat up, holding his neck still. Val shifted to where he could lean on her, and began carefully unwrapping the bandages. Slowly, the wound was revealed. The gash was still an angry red, but it was healing. The area around it was darkened by bruises where Heimdall had pressed down.

"Those bruises are fading," she told him, looking for the medical supplies she knew had to be in here. Spotting them in a bucket in the corner, she stood to fetch them and returned to Loki's side. He bit his lip as she pulled out the antiseptic, but otherwise didn't protest as she cleaned the wound.

"There, that wasn't so bad," she said, dropping the used supplies onto the table and picking out fresh bandages.

"Speak for yourself," he said in a strained rasp.

She folded up a smaller bandage and placed it over the wound and told Loki to hold it there. Then she wrapped his neck to pin it in place, wiggling her fingers between the cloth and his neck to make sure it wasn't too loose or too tight, and tied it off with a neat little knot. "Done."

"Thank you," Loki whispered. She cupped his face, brushing her thumb along his cheek. He closed his eyes and nuzzled into her palm, taking comfort in her presence.

"Look, I get it," she broached. "I've had bad wounds before, too. But you need to eat."

Loki sighed and shook his head. "That's not it," he admitted quietly. "I've been in worse pain."

Val sat back. "When were you in worse pain?"

He shook his head. "Different time."

Part of Val wanted to press, but for the first time, she saw genuine fear in his eyes. He hadn't shown fear when facing his sister and her army of the undead, nor had he been showing it by the time she reached him after the assassination attempt, but now it was there, loud and clear. "So, if it's not the pain, then why aren't you eating?"

"I-" He broke off, wringing his hands together. "It's stupid."

 _"He is in pain,"_ Heimdall had said. Val had automatically assumed physical pain, but now she realized that that was an option for a perfect, simple cover for someone used to manipulating the world around him.

She took his hands into hers. "Try me."

He looked down. "We're eating on rations when we're a people used to luxury. It's hard on the civilians, especially the elderly, children, and ill. And here I am, a man who has done almost nothing but bring them suffering. I nearly brought the wrath of Jotunheim upon them; I cost them their queen and then their king; I let everything fall into shambles; and then I brought Hela straight to them."

"You didn't-"

"I did," he cut her off sharply. "I spent four years in the lap of luxury, and suddenly I was being confronted by a sister with the ability to easily murder me. So I panicked and called for the Bifrost, and Hela hitched a ride. It was my own selfishness that sentenced three of Thor's closest friends, the entire Asgard army, and Asgard itself to death. And all I have to do is feel guilty enough to show up with a ship to be handed the position of heir to the throne? So, when I can get away with it, I've been waiting until you and Thor are gone to sneak my meals to families."

Val sat in stunned silence. Loki had always seemed fairly confident in his position. Maybe he had seemed distracted during quiet moments, but that could've had a million different explanations. Certainly her mind hadn't jumped to… that.

"I wasn't there for most of that," she eventually said, "but you can't hold yourself responsible for what Hela did. She didn't have to do what she did, and if you had tried to stop her, both you and Thor would be dead, and all the realms would be screwed. As it is, you helped contain her to the one place. And you _did_ help, Loki. Without your ties to the Grandmaster, we may not have succeeded in stealing either ship. Without your reinforcements, none of us would have made it off that bridge – and I distinctly recall you fighting alongside us, not hiding out somewhere until the bad part was over. And _you_ were the one who carried out the final plan to summon Surtur, and thus you are responsible for Asgard's destruction, yes, but also the death of your sister, and thereby you are, in a way, the savior of the universe.

"So yes, you did terrible things. Yes, you panicked. Yes, you tried to betray your brother again. But in doing those things, it allowed you to be in the right place and mindset at the right time to play your vital role in saving everyone on this ship. And honestly, if you were some sort of goody good child, then our relationship would probably be very different than what it is now."

Loki still wouldn't look at her. "You really believe that?" he mumbled.

She stretched up to place a light kiss on his cheek. "I believe that because it's true. If I hadn't spent all those years using my grief and guilt as an excuse to enslave people, would I be where I am now? No. You just need to give yourself the chance to follow your heart. And right now, that starts with eating your food."

For a minute, he just leaned into her. Then he nodded and straightened up, turning to the bowl that awaited him. Holding his left hand over it, he reheated it until it steamed a little. He dropped his hand and stared at it.

"This is the hand, you know, that first turned blue. That first told me I was not Asgardian," he murmured. "Ironic, isn't it, that a Frost Giant has the ability to heat things up."

"You're Asgardian enough for me, _Odin_ son."

He clasped her hand in his and held on tight.


	8. Tortured Souls In The Starlight

A/N: Just a heads up, this one delves very slightly into Infinity War speculation. It's very slight and probably not true, but I know some of you may care.

Also a warning for attempted suicide and mentions of torture.

Inspired by ghostlybelladonna's Tumblr post.

* * *

They had stayed up for a while after Loki finished eating. They just chatted, remembering times long gone. He spoke of his mother and his favorite tricks that he'd played on his brother; she spoke of her pegasus, a steed as feisty and loyal as they came, the other Valkyrie, and her own childhood. Gradually, they migrated from sitting up and holding hands, to lying down and wrapped around each other. He fell asleep on his back, holding her close. She pillowed her head on his shoulder, one arm thrown over his torso, one leg hooked around his.

Which made it very noticeable when he started twitching.

She figured he would stop after a minute, so she ignored the movement. But he kept moving, the twitching just shifting places if she grabbed one limb to still it. So she sat up and shook him. "Loki, wake up."

He did nothing but start moaning.

"Loki," she repeated, concern sharpening her tone. "Loki, wake up."

He gasped, his back arching away from the bed. His head started thrashing, back and forth until red splotches started showing up on his bandages. Val grabbed his head with as much strength as she dared, wary of hurting him further.

"LOKI!"

Abruptly, his eyes snapped open. She swung out of the way as he bolted upright. His eyes were wide and his breaths erratic, and she was wary of touching him. Only as he slowly calmed down, his breathing evening out, did she carefully take hold of his shoulder and rub his back.

"I've got you," she murmured. "I've got you, Loki."

He slumped against her, burying his face in his hands. She held him, sliding her fingers into his hair and tucking him under her chin. "You're safe with me," she promised. "You're safe."

Loki took a few deep, shuddering breaths before relaxing enough to drop his hands. He rested his chin on her shoulder, pressing his cheek into her neck. "Ow," was all he said.

Val knew she should check on his wound, but she left it alone. "What was that?"

He gave a little shrug. "Nightmare, I guess."

She leaned back, holding him by the shoulders. "You _guess_? You fought so hard you tore your cut open – that's not an 'I guess it was a nightmare' type of nightmare, Loki."

Loki lifted a hand to check that, wincing. "Whoops."

"Loki-"

He flinched from the heated frustration in her voice and she stopped. Swallowing it down, she spoke again. "You have until I'm done patching that back up to start talking, all right?"

She took as much time as she dared to do so. Luckily, it wasn't badly torn, so she was able to repair the new damage with the tiny bit of healing magic Loki had taught her after one of their training bouts. He spent most of the time looking too out of it to even notice the sting of the antiseptic, but at the spurt of magic there was a tingle of pride in his gaze. As she finished up the bandages, he ducked his head and mumbled a half-hearted thanks.

"Talk."

"It-" He paused, biting his lip. "It's not really- I don't think words can do it justice."

She was ready to rebuke him, but she stopped, an idea popping into her head. With a mental "What the hell," she picked up his hand and planted his palm against her head. "Then show me."

Confusion grew on his face a heartbeat before comprehension. He jerked his hand away from her. " _No._ "

Val held onto his wrist. "You share my worst memory. It's only fair I share yours."

Loki shook his head emphatically. "No. Not this. _No one_ needs this."

"No one needs to watch every single one of their friends fall while watching helplessly, either," Val snapped. "But I live with that every day, and so do you now. I can handle another worst memory."

"I know you can handle it," Loki said, "but I don't want you to have to. It's every kind of agony you can imagine and then some. It haunts me day and night-"

Mid-rant, knowing that he wouldn't quite be able to control his magic with his emotions so tense and the memory at the forefront of his mind, she flattened his palm against her forehead.

Instantly, a torrent of emotions burned from his hands into her mind. She could feel him trying to pull back, so she snarled a fierce, "Don't you dare." He hesitated a moment more, and then their minds melded.

 _They hung from the bridge, looking up at the faces they'd betrayed. But the grizzled face just seemed like a mask of disappointment, and betrayal bolted through them yet again. They were a monster, they had been their whole lives, and now they were just proving it. They had betrayed, they had_ been _betrayed, and they might as well be alone, because how could anyone love them now?_

 _So they let go. Let the abyss take them._

 _But it didn't. Instead, it dropped them into the hands of torturers. Someone, an alien with too many fingers and odd armor, asked them if they would kill in the name of someone called Thanos. They said no, they wanted only to die, and the alien laughed darkly and promised they would wish for that._

 _And so they were imprisoned, given to the whims of the criminally insane. Most of them just laughed and muttered to themselves as they picked through a host of wicked tools. But there were two, two who were stone cold and silent as they screamed and writhed. They were women, daughters of this so-called Thanos. One was green, delicate lines etched into her face, her long dark hair turning a deep fuchsia at the ends. The other was blue and purple, a cyborg who clicked creepily back together on the rare occasions they had the guts and strength to break free of their restraints._

 _These lackeys were varied in their methods. Sometimes the torture was physical, leaving them strapped to a table or chained to the ceiling, screaming, their magic the only thing keeping them from being covered in a mess of horrific scars. Sometimes they were starved, or suffocated in various ways, or deprived of water, or kept awake for days on end, or locked in a tiny, pitch black room with no visitors until they wanted to scream for even the company of the knives used to slice them open._

 _Time became meaningless. They only knew it was breaktime when they were yet again asked if they would kill for Thanos. They tried to answer no, but there was utter hopelessness in them, because no one was coming to rescue them. They had betrayed everyone, everyone who now thought they were dead, so there was no escape. There was only agony, being shoved to the brink of death, only to be dragged back because they weren't cooperating._

 _But finally, slowly, the agony and loneliness twisted the betrayal within him. It twisted and darkened and grew, desperate for outlet, any outlet, and there was one thing they had almost had: power. Power over billions of souls, a throne to sit on, servants to provide comfort. Comfort. Oh gods, what they wouldn't do for comfort, any comfort, even the simplest comfort of a fresh shirt._

 _So finally, they broke. They said yes, if only they could rule the one insignificant planet they were being sent to collect an item from. Any pain, physical or mental, garnered in their warpath was infinitesimal compared to the last year – had it only been a year?_

 _It had felt like an eternity._

Loki released her. The suddenness of it sent her sprawling, knocked flat by the year she'd experienced in a handful of minutes. She lay on the bed, gasping for breath and unable to stop tears, patting herself down to make sure she wasn't injured.

"Gods," she rasped weakly. "You've been- you've been carrying _that_ around- how the _hell_ are you sane?"

He didn't respond, and she forced herself upright. He was pacing, hugging himself, tears shining on his face. She wanted to say something, to reassure him, but there was nothing. He had been right – words couldn't possibly have covered that. And words certainly couldn't make up for it.

So she said nothing. On shaky legs she stood, intercepting him with a hesitant hand on the crook of his elbow. He stopped, lifting his chin with a sniffle, shivering beneath her. She just held him, her touch light, wary of reminding them – him – of the restraints. He didn't react, his eyes darting around as if to reassure himself that he could see.

"Let's, um, let's go to the throne room, ok?" she suggested. Still, he said nothing, but when she nudged his elbow, he moved. So, after grabbing a pillow, she guided him forward that way, mildly freaked out at his zombie-like movements. But she knew why, because she had been this way before, in the early days after the massacre. It had taken ages to come out of the trance, ages of struggling with herself, but no one had been there to help her. Now, though, she could help Loki.

"Look," she murmured as they reached the throne room. "Nice and big in here, and you're not alone."

Loki moved to the window, resting his fingertips against the glass. "I couldn't-" His voice broke, forcing him to take a breath. "I grew up looking to the stars for comfort, and I couldn't see them."

Val carefully hugged him from behind, stretching up to peek over his shoulder. "Well, you can see them now."

He turned his head to look at her. "I only need one star now."

She looked at him, blinking slowly.

And burst out laughing. "Gods, that was cheesy."

Loki chuckled, turning his back on the window to lean on it. "Yeah, I'm not exactly on the top of my game."

Val dropped the pillows and sat on one. Loki settled on the other, leaning his shoulder against the window. "All those nights on Asgard, listening to Mother talk about the stars, I never thought I would look up and know Asgard isn't shining among them."

Val looked out at the galaxy. "Most of me never really intended to go back, but I guess a part of me always hoped. It is… weird, knowing it's not there."

Loki pulled his knees up to his chest and hugged them. "Nowhere is truly safe, is it?"

"No," Val agreed readily. "I learned that long ago. But there are people who make you feel safe."

When Loki looked back at her, his eyes were full of pain. Val recognized it as the kind of deep-seated pain that made someone want to forget everything – the same kind of pain Val shared. But there was softness in the smile he gave her, the softness of the broken heart within relearning how to love.

"I know."

"Still cheesy," she teased.

Loki gave a little laugh. "I know that, too. But it's still true."

"Yeah," Val agreed, giving him the same soft smile. "It is."

* * *

A/N: Couples stargazing together... yesssss


	9. Date Night

A/N: This has some Valkyrie whump in it, guys! I've been neglecting her in that department, I think, so this is gonna start making up for it. And the next chapter too, if I do what I'm thinking of. But this starts off cute, promise - I won't throw you _immediately_ into the deep end. This time.

* * *

The next day, Val found herself taking an embarrassingly long time to get ready for dinner. Her armor, the prettiest – and pretty much only – clothing she had onboard, was scuffed and stained from the constant use over the last few weeks, but she fixated on one stain on her shoulder and scrubbed and scrubbed. It refused to come out.

Someone knocked on her door. "Come!" she called, her irritation bleeding through.

Carefully, Thor stepped inside. "Is this a bad time?"

"Yes! No. Maybe!"

Thor chuckled. "You're as bad as Loki. Here, let me help with that."

She looked up, blinking. "Loki does this?"

He took the cleaning cloth from her and set to work on the stubborn stain. "He's _doing_ this. But yes, he did this before almost every date he had when we were younger."

"So he grew out of it?" she asked, fighting not to flinch away from the pressure he was using.

Thor shrugged. "I thought so, for a while, but I guess not, if he's doing it now. He must've just stopped dating or something. Or maybe you're just special."

"Hm," was all Val said.

"And… there. All gone," Thor said triumphantly, tossing the cloth onto the table.

Val looked down in surprise. "Thanks."

"Any time- Aha!"

"What?"

He flipped a lock of hair over her shoulder. "You've washed your hair again," he observed teasingly.

Val pursed her lips against a laugh. "Get out of here."

Thor clapped her on the shoulder. "Honestly, you both need to just relax. You're great friends – dinner will be _fine_."

Val bit the inside of her cheek. "And if it doesn't? What if it just makes things weird?"

Thor gestured at everything, both arms spread wide. "Your entire situation is already weird – can't get much worse."

Val conceded the point with a nod. "We have built this entire relationship on past suffering and the idea that we'll be separated in a little over a week."

Thor coughed a little at that, but managed to keep his joking tone. "See? You'll be fine. Now go have fun, little sister."

She arched an eyebrow at him as she turned to leave. "I'm older than you, and I'm not your sister."

"Not _yet,_ " he pointed out.

She waved him off, continuing down the hall. "Get out of my room!"

Aside from their rooms, there was nowhere really private to have a dinner, so they had commandeered the back corner of the mess hall. Normally it was a fairly ugly room, made of the same rusting, dull blue metal as the rest of the ship, and filled with long picnic tables of the same material. But tonight, the back corner glimmered sky blue and faint gold, and there was a small white table between a pair of ornate chairs. A deep green tablecloth was draped over it, and on the tablecloth was a pair of candles, a small vase of flowers, and fancy plates, glasses, and silverware.

Beside the table stood Loki, looking more resplendent than when he'd emerged from the fog, helmet shining in the light, dramatically declaring that their savior had arrived. This time, he'd forgone the helmet, but he had covered his clothes with a glamour of something like what he had arrived on Sakaar in, though there was less black and the green was lighter now. His bandages were hidden, too, his chin held high.

Now, he truly looked like a prince.

Val smiled as she walked up to him, putting a little bit of strut into her movement. "My liege," she greeted, bowing a little.

He took her hand and gently kissed her knuckles, never breaking eye contact with her. "My protector."

He pulled out her chair, pushing it back in when she sat down. A server came and quietly filled their glasses with water, telling them that their food would be out shortly before leaving. Val watched her in mild amusement as Loki sat down, hiding a cough in his elbow.

"A servant, eh?" she asked.

"I promised her some extra rations," Loki explained. She looked sharply at him, but he was already adding, "Not mine. I promise."

"Whose, then?"

He gave a little shrug, not quite able to hide a smirk. "Thor's."

Val chuckled, then turned her attention to the wall. Green shimmered around her fingers as she brushed them against it, giving away that it was a glamour, and she appreciated the mental effort he must be undergoing right now. "I love what you've done with the place."

Loki tried to shrug modestly, but she saw the pride in his eyes. "I just wanted a nice place to do this."

Val reached across the table, lightly taking his finger and rubbing it. "You did great."

Loki smiled, and then they pulled back as the servant set their food in front of them. That much, Loki couldn't disguise – it was the same mediocre stuff they had been living off for weeks. They fell silent as they ate, taking delicate, proper bites, even though they were hungry and hadn't seen each other all day.

Finally, Val dropped her fork. "This is ridiculous."

With a sigh of relief, Loki dropped his, too. "It is."

"We talk for weeks like it's nothing, then we go a little formal and suddenly we're like awkward teenagers."

Loki let out an awkward laugh, scrubbing a hand over his face. "To be fair, I last did this a few dozen years ago."

Val arched an eyebrow. "I thought the ladies would be all over you."

"Oh, they were," Loki confirmed, "but only as a stepping stone to Thor. They would date me so he would notice them. If he didn't, they left; if he did, they left for him. They wanted the blond warrior with massive muscles and a key to the throne, not the trickster baby brother."

"Unfortunately, I can see that happening," Val said ruefully. "I sense a 'but,' though."

Loki looked down, hiding a sudden longing in his expression. "Yes," he admitted quietly. "There is a but."

Val waited for him to talk, quietly taking a sip of water.

"There are – were – a variety of secret passages leading in and out of Asgard," he finally began. "One of them, which I found about six decades before… everything, led to a forest in Midgard. It came out on a steep hill, and the first time I was unprepared for that, so I fell and knocked myself out. When I came to, there was a young human woman with me – Carita. She was rather bold and curious, and I liked that she paid attention to me. So I agreed to return to her.

"Eventually, though, it became more than spiting my family. I liked her – more than liked her. She was kind and clever, and she made the universe seem like a brand new place. I snuck off to see her for years, until I worked up the nerve to marry her. Except, the day I stole my mother's ring to propose the human way, she wasn't in the forest to greet me. I thought she was simply late, but when I arrived at her house to fetch her, they told me she had passed. Slipped on the stairs and broke her neck – a simple accident. And just like that, she was gone."

Val grabbed his hand and squeezed – there was no other comfort she could offer. Loki opened his other hand, palm up, and a figure shimmered to life – a dark-skinned young woman with lively green eyes. "I've never told anyone that story," he murmured. "Except Mother."

"Not even Thor?" Val asked.

He shook his head. "At the time, I thought he would only ridicule me for loving a mortal in the first place. And now, with him being in love with a mortal, I figure it's best not to until her own time has come and gone. He already knows she'll pass too soon – he doesn't need the stress of awaiting a freak accident."

Val tapped his palm, carefully avoiding the projection. "How do you do that?"

With his other hand, Loki flipped hers over, laying it against the table. "Think of the person you want to project. Picture them as clearly as you can, even down to the tiniest freckle. Then blend that with your magic and focus on your palm."

Val closed her eyes, following his instructions. She tilted her head and chewed the inside of her cheek, focusing on the distant memory. She felt a spark in her palm, and when she hesitantly opened her eyes, she distantly heard Loki congratulating her and asking who was now standing on her palm.

"Sindri," she breathed. She reached out to touch the messy mop of blond hair on his head, tears sparking to life in her eyes. The image flickered, nearly disappearing, but Loki touched his fingertips to hers and shared his magic's strength, keeping Sindri alive.

"I take it Sindri is your 'but' story," Loki murmured.

"Yeah," she rasped. She sniffed deeply, clearing her throat before starting. "He was a healer, sweet and kind of naïve – I had a different type back then," she explained, seeing the look on Loki's face. "We met because he was almost always on duty when I needed patching up after training or fighting. We grew on each other after that, all that time spent together. He became my everything, right up until… the end. We were even going to be married. One day, he was summoned to field duty."

Her tone grew bitter. "It was supposed to be a simple skirmish. The Valkyrie weren't summoned, and the healers were just there as a precaution. For everyone else, it was simple – not even a broken bone among them. But he- he took a stray arrow. Right in the damn chest. He survived just long enough for me to see him, and then he died in my arms."

Loki curled his fingers around hers, and she copied him with the hand that was still projecting Carita. They sat there quietly, remembering the more hopeful people they had used to be.

"Thor told me you stopped dating for a while," Val said. "Is Carita why?"

Loki nodded. "And did you date after Sindri?"

"Sort of," Val replied. "I had flings, one-night stands, but nothing real. Nothing long."

"Well," Loki murmured, "I can't promise long." He swept both projections into his hand, pulling them in so they overlapped. Then he stood, tugging her up with him. "But maybe I can promise real."

He lifted his hands over their heads, both of their gazes following. He brought his fingertips together so they touched within the projects, and then, with a little flourish, he threw them apart. The projections exploded into mini fireworks, the multicolored sparkles raining down on them. Val smiled despite the tears still slipping down her cheeks.

"I'll take real."

Loki smiled.

As the lightshow faded, Val rested her face against his chest, listening to his heart beating next to her ear. He bent down to kiss the top of her head, his breath warm against her hair. And like that they stayed, holding each other close, gently swaying to a beat that belonged to them, and them alone.


	10. Illness Strikes

A/N: I didn't think I'd get this one done today - yay for happy surprises! It did get a little heavy on the Thor and Loki bonding in the middle, maybe at the expense of some Lokyrie, but I hope the beginning and end make up for that. And this is easily the longest chapter so far, too.

And Midnight (at least, I think it was you, you didn't sign your name this time), I love your scrambled reviews. And as far as them having warrior babies goes... Maybe not in this fic (or maybe I will... who knows?), but I did make these two get married in my Sims app and they currently have one kid, a baby girl named Frigga (and cause I messed up, their last name is Pegasus).

* * *

The next day, Thor still wouldn't let Loki resume magic lessons, instead leaving the more practiced civilians to help others, so he sat in on Val's fighting lesson. Her students were learning well, moving like a coordinated unit. When she challenged them one-on-one, they even almost gave her a run for her money towards the end. Loki sat back, leaning against the window with his breakfast beside him, and just watched her. Val moved with the fluid grace born of centuries of practice, hair and cape flying with her, her moves completely instinctive.

She was a terrifyingly gorgeous sight.

As lunchtime neared, Val was sweating and panting. She dipped her head to the last student to battle her. "You did well – all of you did. You are all dismissed."

Dipping their heads in return, they all turned to leave, chatting and still practicing a little as they did so. Loki moved to her side. "You're a good teacher."

Val just nodded and smiled, slowly turning away and starting to leave. She wobbled as she walked, her hand shooting out to grab the throne for support.

"Val?" Loki said, moving closer in concern. "Are you all right?"

"Fine," she tried to snap. But she was panting for breath, holding her hands out in an effort to balance herself. When he tried to steady her, she jerked away from him. He half-froze, fear for her rippling through him.

"I don't think- Val!"

Without warning, she lurched to the side, her feet skidding out from under her. She slammed into the ground with a _thud,_ too fast for Loki to ease her fall. He dropped to his knees beside her, turning her onto her back. When he reached out to brush her hair from her face, he nearly jerked back with a hiss.

"Val, you're burning up!"

"Huh," she mused. "Maybe it wasn't exertion after all."

Loki scooped her into his arms, resting her head on his shoulder, and began walking to the healing center as fast as he dared. "You should've _said_ something."

She batted feebly at his hands. "I can walk, Lackey."

"If you even try it, I will throw you over my shoulder like a sack of grain," he threatened, having absolutely no intention to actually do so. But she must've believed him, because she stopped slapping him and fell to mumbling indignantly into his neck.

That only made him walk faster.

Once he reached the room, his gaze fell on a familiar face. "Eir!"

She turned to him stiffly, still reluctant to take orders from him. He just held Val out a little, saying in a quiet voice, "I'm not here for me."

Her gaze softened as she nodded, but her tone was all business. "Put her down there," she ordered, pointing at the nearest empty bed. Loki obeyed, easing her head down onto the pillow, and then Eir bustled in between them. "Now shoo."

Loki bit his lip but stepped back. He flinched when Eir snapped the curtain shut, recognizing the movement's sharpness for what it was: distrust. She still didn't want him here, especially not near her patients. Knowing protesting might get him kicked out of the room altogether, he stayed silent and just wedged himself into the corner to wait, head down and arms crossed.

Time dragged on. People came and went, glancing at him, probably wondering why the heir to the throne was hiding in a corner. He was tempted to glare at some of the more obvious ones, but that wouldn't exactly endear him to the people, would it? So he kept his eyes downcast, glancing up only when Eir stepped in and out of Val's area. She never acknowledged him, just grabbed supplies, murmured to the other healers, and disappeared again.

Two hours came and went without news.

"Loki?"

Loki looked up, surprised to see his brother standing there. "What are you doing here?"

Thor wrapped his arm around Loki's shoulders. "Heimdall told me. Any news?"

Loki shook his head, letting himself lean into the contact. "You know Eir won't tell me anything."

Thor sighed, the look in his remaining eye troubled. "I could order-"

"No," Loki cut him off. "They would only resent me more."

Thor pursed his lips, but nodded agreement. "One day, they will accept you as their prince again."

Loki looked up at his brother. "Do you? If you had to pass off the throne right now, would you trust me with it?"

Thor was silent for a moment, thinking over his words. "Honestly? No."

Loki looked away to hide the disappointment on his face, crossing his arms. He didn't know what he'd been expecting, but to get such a flat-out refusal-

"Hey," Thor said gently, pulling Loki tighter against his side. "That answer does _not_ mean I don't love you, or trust you with my life, because I do. But you're _just_ resettling, just relearning how to love and be loved. Having to be the king of a people who don't trust you so soon into that process – I wouldn't want it adversely affecting you."

"It wouldn't-"

Thor tapped his neck. "It already has affected you, Loki, very severely, and you're not even king yet. I would rather have you safe and happy, albeit feeling a little scorned, than force you into an unsafe situation where you hardly have time to be yourself."

Loki slowly let his arms fall. "I suppose that's good reasoning."

Thor chuckled. "Always reluctant to admit I'm right, aren't you?"

Loki couldn't hide a grin. "Well, it's just so rare."

Playfully, Thor smacked him on the head. "Watch your tongue, brother."

"Your Highness," a solemn voice greeted.

Both brothers looked up immediately, the laughter falling from their expressions. Eir stood there, hands clasped in front of her, her sympathetic gaze focused on Thor. Loki tensed – he'd seen that expression before. The day his mother was killed.

Evidently, Thor recognized it too, because he stepped forward, placing a hand across Loki's chest that was simultaneously restraining and reassuring. "What is it?"

"It appears to be the same illness that you brought back the herb for," Eir began.

"So it's curable?" Thor checked.

"However," Eir overrode him, "it also appears to be a strain that's resistant to the herb. Her fever is rising rapidly, and we cannot stop it. If it does not go down soon, she will suffer brain damage at the least, and death at the worst."

"I can help her," Loki blurted.

He froze. Not because of Eir's scorn and Thor's confusion, but because of the information he had just volunteered. It was an ability he despised having, and had planned to never tell anyone under any circumstances – he had actually spent the years since discovering it trying to forget it completely. And here he was, blurting it out to a room full of people that would hate him for it if he could still use it.

"You cannot possibly have more powerful healing magic and knowledge than those who have already tried," Eir said dismissively.

Loki took a deep breath, looking at Thor. "It's not Asgardian magic," he admitted quietly.

Thor's eyes went wide. "I thought-"

"I _don't_ use it," Loki said sharply. "But right now, it could save Val's life."

Thor hesitated a moment longer, then gestured at Val's bed. "Do it."

"Hold on!" Eir protested. "If he's referring to what I think he's referring to-"

Thor stepped forward, looming over the healer in all his royal glory. "The prince will either cure Valkyrie, or she will die either way. You have already admitted that your efforts have failed – I suggest you let my brother attempt to save the woman he loves."

Eir backed away from the king, lowering her head. She shot a glare at Loki as she did so, the warning in the look clear. Loki just swept past her, shoving the curtain aside and pulling up a chair. He paused for a moment upon seeing Val, horror making his heart thump faster as he took in her pallid skin and sweat-soaked skin. And she was still, so still. She almost looked like death warmed over.

"Brother," Thor murmured at his side.

Loki shook himself. "Close the curtain."

"But-" Eir started.

Thor snapped the fabric shut. After shooting him a grateful glance, Loki held his hand out in front of him and closed his eyes. He turned his thoughts inward, searching for that place he had accessed merely a handful of times before, that corner of his mind that was pitch black and ice cold and that he despised with his entire being.

For Val, he found it.

It leapt to the forefront of his mind, forcing a gasp out of him. Its iciness instantly flooded over him, turning his legs to jelly as he burst into shivers. Thor grabbed him, easing him onto the chair even as a hiss of pain escaped him.

"By the gods, Loki, you're _freezing_."

"Hold on," he rasped. He rounded up the chill, roping it in from the tips of his fingers to the bottom of his feet, and forced it to obey his wishes. It fought, the abrupt transition from ice cold to room temperature leaving his body raw and stinging. But he forced it all into the hand he held in front of him, leaving it in harsh contrast to the rest of his body.

When the chill finally settled where he wished, he doubled over with a groan, clutching his arm just above the wrist. Thor was still bracing him, one hand on his right shoulder and the other holding his left elbow, and he was talking, but Loki hardly registered him. Squinting with red-tinted vision, he checked on his now-blue hand – the top was blue, as was his arm along the first quarter of it, but his palm and the undersides of his fingers were their normal Asgardian white. Using most of his mental strength to keep it that way, he rested his palm on Val's fiery forehead.

Almost instantly, he felt her gradually begin to cool. The fire within her stood no chance against the strength of his Frost Giant biology. Reassured that he could follow through on his blurted promise, Loki let his eyes blink open and started processing his brother's words.

"…ki? Loki, talk to me. What's happening?"

"I can… access my Jotun abilities without the Casket," he ground out. "Which I found out…" Reluctant to explain how Thanos's goons had shoved him into a room so hot that his Frost Giant genetics had sprung forth unbidden to save him from death by heatstroke, he just finished with, "…a while ago."

Gods, Thor was like a furnace next to him.

 _No. No, you can't focus on that._

Thor shifted closer, taking his cape off and tucking it around Loki's shoulders. "You look like you're in agony."

Loki managed a nod. "They're powerful," he rasped. "The Jotun genetics. And they're in direct conflict with the Asgardian in me. Remember what happened to Volstagg?"

Thor nodded. "He got severe frostbite just by touching one of them for a few seconds."

"Yes, well, I won't get frostbite, but it hurts like hell."

Thor picked up Loki's free hand and rubbed some warmth into his numb fingers. "Can you keep this up long enough to lower her fever?"

Loki didn't know. He could feel her cooling, but it was gradual – it would be hours, at the very least, before her temperature would match Thor's. In the few times he had done this, he had let the cold run rampant throughout him, which had taken far less effort and been less painful. But all he told Thor was, "I have to."

Thor tightened his grip on Loki. "Is there anything I can do?"

Loki looked up at Thor, hoping his brother could see past his blood red eyes. "If I lose control, if I turn blue, get me off of Val and don't touch me."

"I'll do that," Thor promised quietly. "Anything else?"

Loki let himself slump against his brother. "I hate being this," he whispered.

Thor tucked him close. "It is who you are, and I would not have it any other way. Neither would Valkyrie." Then Thor amended, "Well, maybe don't turn into a snake to stab me again."

Despite everything, Loki laughed. And for a brief moment, the pain eased.

-MCU-

Val moaned. Everything was too warm, but she was shivering. And why was her forehead heavy and freezing?

"…should be safe now," a quiet voice said.

The heavy, cold thing was lifted from her forehead. "It's all right, Loki," she heard Thor murmur. "You've saved her. You can rest now."

 _Rest? Why does Loki need rest? What happened?_

With no small amount of effort, she wedged her eyes open. The room slowly came into focus – the healing center. Thor's voice had come from her… left. She forced her head to tilt towards him, blinking to better focus.

Thor was sitting in a chair, cradling someone against him. That someone was hunched over, panting ragged breaths, part of his skin slowly changing from blue to white. The someone looked up at her, and she was shocked to recognize his eyes as they faded from red to blue.

"Loki?" she rasped.

He smiled weakly at her. "Hi," he managed.

And promptly passed out.

Thor checked his pulse, and someone – Eir – bustled around the bed to check on Loki. "He's just unconscious," she announced, "but he needs to be warmed up."

Val still wasn't entirely sure why she felt so warm, or why he needed to be warmed up, but she knew they would match. So she reached out with a heavy hand. "Give."

"Yes, good idea," Eir agreed. She came back around to the right side of the bed and helped Val turn onto her side, leaving room for Thor to scoop Loki up and set him down before pulling the blanket over them. The pair snuggled into each other, Loki unconsciously seeking her warmth, Val tucking Loki's icy extremities against her neck and between her arms.

Val peered up at Thor. "What happened?"

"Later," he promised. "For now, just know that he saved your life, and now you're saving his."

 _Saving him by snuggling with him? That's a victory strategy I can totally support._

After taking another moment to make sure Loki was secure in her grip, Val fell asleep.

* * *

A/N: I think I managed to mix a sick fic and hypothermia fic into one chapter. Two of my fave means of whumpage


	11. Reunion

A/N: And I'm back to Lokyrie! Unfortunately, I've only got one more chapter idea before the last chapter... :/ I'll try to think of more, cause man am I gonna miss writing this fic, but I can't guarantee anything, and it's better to go out on a high note, right? (And there might be an epilogue. Maybe.)

* * *

Val woke up first. For a while, she was content to keep snuggling with Loki, because even though her fever had broken, she still didn't feel the best, and he was still cold to the touch. She fidgeted with his positioning, trying to make sure his fingers were warm enough.

"How long was he like that?" she asked Thor, who was still sitting in a chair by their bed.

Thor looked up from the report he was reading. "Hours. I almost started to think that we would lose him."

Val sighed, pressing a kiss to Loki's forehead. "He went from one extreme to the other, didn't he?"

Thor nodded, resting a hand on his brother's shoulder. "He did."

Loki let out a moan, snuggling closer to Val. "Stop talking about me and let me sleep."

An idea popped into her head, and she sat up. "You know what would warm you up? Playing."

Thor arched an eyebrow while Loki peered at her with narrowed eyes. "What?"

She swung off the bed, holding her hand out to Loki. "Hulk gets restless."

Loki's eyes went wide and he shook his head. "No. No no no no no, I am _not_ going near him."

Val furrowed her eyebrows, glancing between Loki and Thor, whose expression was half empathy, half amusement. "Why? He's harmless. To us," she added after a dubious pause.

"Remember what Hulk did to me in the arena? You know, the-" Thor flailed one hand about, making smacking sound effects. "That?"

"Um… yes," Val replied, after working out what Thor was doing. "What does that have to do with- _oh_."

"Yeah, happened to Loki on Earth," Thor confirmed. "Very traumatic for my baby brother."

Loki glared at his brother. "Need I remind you of the time-"

"Shut up!" Thor interrupted. "Shut up."

Val shook her head in exasperation. "You two are ridiculous."

"Yes, he is," they both answered simultaneously.

Val rolled her eyes and just set to getting Loki out of bed. "Come on, I still want to see Hulk."

Loki ducked under the blankets. "Nope."

Val threw them off, wrapped her arms around his torso, and hauled him out of the bed. "Hey!" he protested, grabbing at the sheets, but she was already setting him down on his feet. When Thor came around and slid between Loki and the bed, he had no option but to just cross his arms in protest. "Really? You're siding with her?"

Thor shrugged. "Who am I to argue?"

"Oh, I don't know, the _king_?"

"True," Thor allowed, "but she could murder me faster than I could order her not to. Therefore, you are going to hang out with Hulk."

Smirking, Val hugged Loki's arm and tugged him forward. Still grumbling, he walked beside her. Thor was a step behind, probably ready to catch them if one of them collapsed. They only made it a few steps, though, before they were intercepted.

"Whoa there," Eir said, blocking their path to the door. "I didn't give either of you permission to leave."

"We can stay-" Loki started.

"We're fine," Val overrode him.

"Oh? Did you become an experienced healer overnight in order to determine that?" Eir challenged.

"No, but-"

"No, she didn't," Loki agreed. "We should go back to bed, Val."

"The prince is being smart," Eir pointed out. "You may feel better, Valkyrie, but you're not healed."

"I've been worse off and done more strenuous things," Val countered.

Thor edged up to them, draping one arm over Val's shoulder and the other over Loki's. "I'll be watching them, Eir. If necessary, I'll carry them both right back to your tender loving care."

"In your dreams," Val and Loki muttered.

Eir sighed, crossing her arms. "I'll hold you to that, Your Majesty," she warned as she stepped aside.

The trio moved on, Val and Thor still teaming up to urge Loki forward. He cooperated, for the most part, probably because he was still cold and Val and Thor were sticking close to keep him moving. But as they neared Hulk's room, he started to drag his heels.

"Val…"

She paused, recognizing the genuine fear in his voice. "Go on ahead, Thor."

"I can't," he rasped, watching his brother disappear through the massive door of a storage room. They heard Hulk's rough voice happily greeting Thor, soon followed by thuds as the duo started sparring playfully.

"Is it really so bad?" she asked.

He crossed his arms. "Yes. I don't know why – I've been beaten worse – but…"

"You were still recovering from Thanos – maybe that's affected your memories of invading Earth," Val posited, resting a hand on his arm. "Or maybe it's because he's Thor's friend and he beat you up."

Loki shrugged. "Maybe."

"Whatever the reason," Val went on, "things are different now. He won't hurt you."

"Not even if he remembers those good ole days?" he asked bitterly.

"I won't let him," Val promised. "He listens to me. And Thor."

Loki remained doubtfully silent.

Val reached up to squeeze his crossed arms. "Loki, he's my best friend. And you…" She hesitated, biting back the words she'd been about to say. "You're just as important to me. I want you and Hulk to at least tolerate each other, even just a little bit." She looked imploringly at him. "If you really hate it, you never have to do this again. But, please, do it just this once. For me."

He sighed, dropping his arms so they could hold hands. "All right."

She bounced up to kiss him on the cheek, beaming at him. "Thank you, sweetheart."

He held up a finger. "I don't- I don't think that one works."

Val chuckled, pulling him into the room while he was distracted. Aside from Hulk's bed, it was devoid of furniture, and it was wide, and multiple stories tall. "Come on, we both know you're a massive softie beneath all that brooding trickster stuff."

"Then I get to call you angel," he bargained, smirking gleefully.

"What? No! I am not an angel."

He arched an eyebrow. "You wear white and gold armor, and you rode a pegasus. If that's not angelic, I don't know what is."

"I rode that pegasus into _battle_ to _murder people,_ " Val shot back.

"Semantics," Loki scoffed.

Val pursed her lips. Part of her wanted to keep resisting, but he was giving her puppy eyes, and it was hard enough to resist their sky blue depths when he _wasn't_ trying to get something he wanted. "Fine, sweetheart. I'm your angel."

He smiled. "Yes, yes you are."

"Little girl!" Hulk called happily.

Val dropped Loki's hands and whirled around, grinning at him. "Hey, big guy!"

Hulk flicked Thor aside, leaving the king to crash into his makeshift bed of assorted soft things, and Val didn't hesitate to leap at him. Hulk caught her, but her momentum bowled him over, and they hit the ground together, laughing. He batted at her, but Val dodged swiftly, only letting him land glancing blows. They tussled playfully for a few minutes, forgetting the world around them, until Val heard Thor.

"I think you lost your girlfriend, Loki."

Val sprang upright, landing on Hulk's back in a crouch and straightening up. Both brothers were watching her in identical stances, their arms crossed and heads tilted slightly. She put her hands on her hips and stared them down. "I'm allowed to wrestle platonically."

"I'm, uh, I'm not saying you can't, I- I just, uh-"

"Thor?"

"Yes, Loki?"

"Stop talking."

"Yes, Loki."

Val gave a sharp nod of satisfaction and hopped off Hulk, moving closer to Loki before turning back to Hulk. "There's someone you need to meet, big guy. Well, re-meet, I guess."

Hulk sat up, scratching his nose. "Who?"

Val stepped to the side, reaching out to invite Loki closer. "This is Loki."

Recognition flared in Hulk's eyes. "Puny god!"

Loki shifted until he was half behind Val. He lifted his hand in an awkward little wave. "Yes… that's me."

Hulk leaned forward, peering down at him. "Smash you."

He tried to laugh, but it came out as more of a nervous squeak. "No, no smashing."

Hulk poked him in the chest, making him stumble backwards. "You bad."

Val moved in between them, gently swiping Hulk's hand away. "Not anymore. Remember? He fought with us on the bridge."

Hulk shrugged. "Hulk in water. Hulk not see puny god."

"Then trust me when I tell you he's good now, all right?"

Hulk watched Loki with narrowed eyes for a moment longer, then nodded. "Puny god not hurt little girl, Hulk not smash puny god."

Loki nodded, relief glowing in his eyes. "Deal. And can we, uh, stop with the puny god?"

"No."

Loki gave a quick thumbs-up, dropping his gaze. "Ok."

While Val patted his shoulder sympathetically, Thor went to the corner of the room and picked up a ball someone had found lying around back when they first boarded. Tossing it between his hands, he asked, "Shall we play a game?"

Loki eyed the ball, glancing between it and Hulk. "What game, exactly?"

Hulk's eyes lit up. "Dodgeball!"

"No," Thor said quickly as panic surged into Loki's expression. "There's not enough of us. How about… basketball? Loki could just make a net on that wall…"

"Um, what's basketball?" Val asked.

"Oh, it's a Midgardian sport…"

As Thor explained the rules, Loki made a net high up on one wall, where even Hulk would have to jump a little to reach it. They paired off, Val and Thor against Loki and Hulk, and both duos set to winning. Loki and Hulk worked together awkwardly at first, but slowly, they found their groove, until Loki trusted him enough to use him as a leaping point to score what Thor called a "slam dunk."

The group played long and hard, happy to leave the ruling to Heimdall for a few hours. Val and Thor eventually let Loki and Hulk win, purely to give them a nice bonding point – but if they got a chance to play again, the young'uns were going _down._

Eventually, when they dropped into bed together, Val couldn't stop smiling at Loki.

"What?" he murmured after a while, tucking stray hairs behind her ear.

"Just… thank you," she replied, doing the same for him. He had warmed back up, she noted. "That meant a lot to me."

"Anything for my angel," Loki replied softly.

For a moment, they laid there in silence, hands resting on each other's faces. Then, slowly, Val moved closer, touching her lips to his. He was cool and sweet against her, reminding her of snuggling by the fire watching snow fall outside. She deepened the kiss, encouraged by his arms wrapping around her, pulling her close.

"I could do that all day," she breathed when they broke apart, leaving only the barest breathing room between them.

"Agreed," he said, pulling her back to him. She could feel his heart beating against her, thumping in sync with her own.

"Loki… I think I love you."

His touch was light as a feather as he brushed away the tear slipping from her eye, ignoring the tear falling from his own.

"I love you, too."


	12. Ravagers

A/N: And here we are... The last of the intermediary chapters I have planned. It's nice and long, at least, coming in at almost 3k words. I'm gonna miss these two. I might do some during- or post-Infinity War fics if I'm still in the mood come May. Same with Avengers 4 come May 2019. Assuming these two both survive both movies. I feel like Valkyrie is pretty safe, being so new and all (unless they created her just to kill her like with Pietro, which I'm still upset about), but if they kill Loki, I'm going to cry. (I know Tom's in Avengers 4, but as far as I know, he's only been spotted filming an Avengers 1 flashback, so... not really confirmation that Loki's alive in the present.)

* * *

When Loki awoke, Val was curled around him, her breaths tickling the back of his neck. There was a new closeness in her touch, a new protectiveness in her grip. Lightly, he took hold of her hand, and she squeezed in return. But they said nothing, quieted by the weight of last night and what it would mean going forward.

If Loki closed his eyes, he could pretend they were back on Asgard. He could pretend they were surrounded by familiar golden halls, shielded from the universe by an army of guards. He could pretend that Mother and Father were still alive, happy that their son had found love. He could pretend that they had an eternity to look forward to, an eternity full of the love they'd both needed for so long.

But none of it was real. The walls were dull, holding no promise of a future. They stood at the head of a half-traumatized group of civilians, whose safety would be assured in exchange for Loki's banishment in mere days. Their newfound love would be tossed aside, outweighed by the needs of the many.

Val's fingers moved, tracing patterns over his heart. "Thor will fight for you," she murmured.

"But will it be enough?"

She stilled, her voice hurt as she asked, "Would you give us up so easily?"

Loki rolled over to face her. "No," he told her firmly. "But you know the position I'm in – the position we're _all_ in. The civilians may love him, but the governments may be a different story entirely. And if Thor pushes the humans too hard, they'll banish us all. Because I'm the prince, because I care about every single life on this ship, my life is not my own."

Val smiled, the expression torn between wryness and pride. "You pick now to be selfless."

Loki chuckled a little, pulling her in for a gentle kiss. Gods, she was beautiful, her hair free and messy, her skin tinged silver in the starlight. "I have something to be selfless for."

Her smile faded to seriousness as she traced his jawline. "I could go with you," she volunteered quietly.

Loki shook his head. "Thor can give you a better home. The home you deserve."

"The only home I need," Val said, taking his hand again, "is you."

"I can't settle down, not if it's just me," Loki pointed out. "I was promised that, if I failed to take Earth and the Tesseract, I would wish for something sweet as pain. All that's kept me safe these last few years is Asgard, and the reports of my death. If Thanos finds me now…"

"I'll protect you," Val promised. "That's my job, even if I hated you."

"I think it's technically just your job to protect Thor," Loki retorted. "And besides, formidable as you are, his minions would crush you."

"If they're trying to get through me to get to you-" She pushed him onto his back, leaning on his chest to kiss him. "-they won't stand a chance."

Loki grinned up at her, his warrior angel. "I admire your conviction."

He cupped the back of her head and reached up to kiss her again.

Someone knocked on the door. "Prince Loki?"

He dropped his head with a frustrated huff. "What?"

"King Thor requests your presence on the bridge, sir. Urgently. Madam Valkyrie's as well."

Loki exchanged a concerned glance with Val, who was already sliding off the bed. "On our way," he called.

They dressed quickly, Loki tying Val's hair into a bun while she pulled her boots on, and then they made their way to the bridge. Heimdall and Korg were there, standing on either side of the vacant throne; Hulk was pacing the room, fists flexing; and Thor was standing over a console pulled out of the left wall. One look out the window made it obvious why.

There was a ship, a massive ship looming outside. It was roughly made, but the guns it toted were aimed at them and definitely big enough to pose a threat. Val moved to calm Hulk, while Loki went to Thor's side, peering over his shoulder at the console's readings.

"How long have they been there?" he asked.

"A few minutes," Thor replied. "I don't know why they haven't fired."

"Let's count that a blessing," Loki muttered. "It looks like a Ravager ship."

"Who?" Korg inquired.

"Groups of space pirates," Loki replied. "There are 99 factions, some all men, some all women, and some mixed. This one must be led by a woman, because the men tend to just shoot first and steal later."

"They are," Heimdall confirmed. "I think they are hesitating because their scans have detected children onboard."

"Why would that make pirates hesitate?" Val asked.

"Ravagers have a code," Loki explained. "They don't deal in children, and in some factions, that extends to not harming them at all."

"Reputable pirates," Korg mused. "Hm. Not a sentence I ever thought I'd say."

"I say we get out of here before they decide to fire anyway," Val suggested.

"We can't," Thor said. "Their ship is faster. Our firepower is about even, but I'd rather not get into a fight. Not with so much at stake."

"Smash them," Hulk said.

"We can't, not while they're over there," Val pointed out, patting his arm.

An idea popped into Loki's head. "What if they weren't over there?"

Thor shot a confused glance at him. "What?"

"They're pirates – they want our stuff. Let's just invite them over here to get it."

"We have nothing to give them," Korg reminded him.

"They don't know that," Heimdall said slowly, catching onto Loki's idea. "We invite them over on the pretense of showing them to our vaults of riches-"

"And smash them!" Hulk finished gleefully.

"That's crazy," Thor protested.

"No crazier than destroying Asgard to save it," Loki shot back.

"He makes a good point," Korg agreed.

Val unsheathed her sword. "It's been a while since I had a good fight."

"There are too many for us to fight alone," Heimdall warned.

Loki and Val exchanged a glance. "We're not the only ones who can fight and use magic."

Thor sighed reluctantly. "All right, then. Time for Asgard to prove itself."

-MCU-

A few minutes later, they were lined up in front of the docking bay. Thor stood slightly in front of them, lightning crackling around his hands. Loki, Val, and Hulk were on his right; Korg and Heimdall on his left. A few hundred civilians stood behind them, armed with daggers and swords. Loki flicked out his hands, conjuring his own daggers, as the door slid open.

A bald yellow woman stood there, clothed in ripped navy blue leather. She smirked at the sight of the makeshift army, exposed chipped and crooked teeth. "You intend to resist."

Thor lifted his chin, his eye glowing dangerously. "I intend to protect my people. If you wish to do yours the same courtesy, I suggest you leave. Now."

The woman reached behind her back, pulling out a bazooka. "I never back down from a fight."

"Very well, then," Thor said, taking aim with a sparkling hand. Before he could fire, the woman blasted away the wall with a battle cry.

"Ravagers, on me!"

"Asgard, attack!" Thor yelled. He fell on the Ravager captain, vivid lightning half obscuring him from view.

Instantly, half of the civilians vanished from view, just as Loki had taught them. The other half surged forward, unleashing the moves Val had taught them. Ravagers fell to their blades, but more streamed from the Ravager ships now parked in the docking bay. Hulk roared and dove into their midst, smashing violently. Korg, Heimdall, and Val ran into the fray, and for a few minutes, Loki fought alongside them.

Then he noticed something: A man slashing at what appeared to be thin air, only for an Asgardian to flicker into view and fall, clutching their new wound. Loki narrowed his eyes. _A magic user._

Loki created a decoy of himself, setting it loose on some Ravagers to distract them. Then he, too, turned invisible, and made his way to the enemy sorcerer, hacking at Ravagers as he went.

If the trail of dying Ravagers hadn't given him away, the sorcerer sensed him and spun to face him. Dropping the cloak, Loki attacked, flinging a dagger at him. The man swept it aside with magic, responding with a thrown dagger of his own. Loki leaned away, but not before it grazed his neck. Realizing he was aiming for his old injury, healing well but still a vivid red target without a covering of bandages, Loki cloaked it, but he knew the damage was done.

The man launched forward, aiming a punch at Loki's neck. Loki ducked, swinging up hard to punch his gut. The man staggered backwards. Loki kicked out, sweeping the man's leg out from underneath him. He collapsed. Loki aimed his remaining dagger downward, ready to deliver the killing blow, when someone tackled him.

His breath rushed out of him in a gasp, his dagger spinning across the floor. The new attacker, this one a woman, punched him viciously in the jaw. Loki's head snapped to the side as stars exploded across his vision. He clung to consciousness, but was too disoriented to put up a real struggle as she flipped him onto his stomach. Digging a knee into his back, she grabbed a fistful of his hair and jerked his head back. Cold steel pressed into his throat, slicing into the old wound. Panic flared within him, lending him enough clarity to grab her wrist and fight to pull her off, but it wasn't working, the knife was digging deeper, blood was coming out faster and faster-

A bloodcurdling scream of rage sliced through the battlefield, and suddenly she was gone. She was skidding across the floor, clutched in Val's grip. As they tumbled to a halt, Val flipped her onto her stomach, locking her into the same position Loki had just been in.

"No one touches my Loki," Val hissed into her ear. Then she slashed her throat open, picked up the body, and threw it at the nearest group of Ravagers.

As she threw the body, Loki spotted movement behind her – a Ravager trying to sneak up on her, raising a sword to decapitate her. Bolting upright, he conjured another dagger and launched it. With its trajectory aided by magic, it sank deep into the Ravager's neck, and he dropped with a choked gurgle. Val spun around, bringing her fists up to fight, but dropped them when she saw that her would-be opponent was already dead at her feet.

Turning from full-blooded warrior to concerned lover in a heartbeat, she sheathed her sword and ran to his side, dropping to her knees beside him. She clapped a hand over his bleeding neck, and Loki felt it tingle and sting as she used magic to knit the flesh back together. "Thanks," she gasped, nodding at the dead Ravager.

"Thanks to you, too," Loki rasped, gingerly touching his jaw and wincing.

"Yeah, that's gonna hurt in the morning," Val told him. But she didn't try to heal it – a bruise could wait.

"It hurts now," Loki grumbled, getting to his feet and conjuring a new pair of daggers.

"We're nowhere near done," she warned, rising with him and unsheathing her sword.

"Believe me, I know." Loki looked around for the sorcerer, finding him upright and stabbing invisible Asgardians again. Pointing, he told Val, "We have to kill him."

Val nodded. "I'll go low, you go high."

Loki nodded, and together, they darted forward. Val split away, coming at him from the back. They reached him simultaneously, Loki slicing at his neck and Val at the backs of his knees. He swung backwards, dodging Loki's blow, but he didn't notice Val's sword until it was already slicing through his legs. He fell with a scream, and this time Loki succeeded in sinking his dagger into him. For good measure, Val hit him across the face with her sword's hilt.

"One down-" Loki started.

"-a lot to go," Val finished.

They rose in one fluid movement, looking around. The Ravagers' numbers were thinning noticeably now, the Asgardians slowly gaining the upper hand. Hulk was enjoying himself far too much; Thor's lightning continued to arc across the bay; Korg was shooting people left and right; and Loki caught sight of Heimdall's dreadlocks flying as he slashed through opponent after opponent. Satisfied that those four were safe for the moment, Loki shifted his attention to finding the person in the most trouble.

 _There._

A young Asgardian woman was fighting valiantly, but a group of Ravagers had trapped her in the corner – she was likely only still alive because they were toying with her, having fun with their prey before the kill.

That was their mistake.

He tapped Val's shoulder, getting her attention, and she nodded. "Hulk!" she called.

Immediately, Hulk barreled towards them. Loki barely had a heartbeat to feel a spike of fear before he had scooped them up and was flinging them across the room. Val landed gracefully, Loki less so, but together they sprang upright.

"Pick on someone your own size," Loki snarled.

The Ravagers spun around, eyes widening. The three Asgardians attacked in their moment of distraction, felling three of the five before they had a chance to defend themselves. Leaving the remaining two to Val, Loki pulled the young woman out of danger. She looked familiar somehow, but he couldn't figure out why.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

She was panting, her face and arms bloodied and bruised, but she nodded. "Thank you, Your Majesty."

"Any time," he promised, handing over a dagger. She took it, stiffening as she prepared to fight on, but her determination proved unnecessary.

"I surrender!"

It was the Ravager captain – her yellow skin was burned, gashes oozed green blood, and she limped badly as she backed away from Thor.

"Then leave," Thor snarled. He was panting and bleeding himself, but with lightning still sparking around his body and his eye glowing, he looked, if anything, even more deadly than before. "And take your survivors with you."

The captain shot him one last snarl. "Ravagers, retreat."

"Never challenge Asgard again," Thor called after the fleeing pirates.

As they fled, a young man came jogging up, his eyes locked on the woman. They greeted with a relieved kiss, hugging each other. Loki backed away from the pair, stumbling over a body. Val caught him, reaching up to wipe some blood off his face.

"Ow," he complained, nudging her hand away.

"Don't be a baby," she scolded teasingly. "Come on, let's go help the wounded. And then clean up Ravager bodies."

"Oh, joy," he said wryly. "My favorite part of battle."

Before they could take more than a couple steps, a woman came running through the crowd – it was Eir. "Embla!" she cried in relief upon seeing the young woman. And suddenly, he realized why she was familiar – she looked almost like a younger version of Eir.

"Mother," she greeted happily, throwing her arms around the healer.

"You're alive, thank the gods," Eir half-sobbed, clutching her tight.

Embla shook her head. "Thank the prince."

Eir turned to him. "You?" she exclaimed. She had softened to him a bit after watching him nearly die to save Val, but there was still genuine shock in her voice.

Loki shrugged a little, gesturing at Val. "It was a team-"

"Yes," Val and Embla overrode him.

"It was him," Embla confirmed.

Suddenly, Eir was hugging him tightly. "Thank you," she rasped. "My daughter is my everything."

"What am I, chopped liver?" the young man protested.

Embla patted his shoulder. "In-laws don't count, honey."

Loki patted Eir's back awkwardly, surprised at the affection. "I was just-"

Val elbowed his hip. "He means you're welcome."

"Yes," Loki agreed, glaring at her. "You're welcome."

She smiled innocently, turning on her heel to help with the wounded. Eir released him, still grinning through tears of joy, and they parted ways to help where they could.

-MCU-

Late that night – or early that morning, depending on how one looked at it – found Loki, Val, and Thor exhausted, their wounds still largely untended. But they were hunched over a table in the mess hall, doing their best to eat. Loki was mostly just drinking, thanks to his jaw, but he managed small bites when Val forced him to. She was snuggled underneath his arm, both of them leaning on the other.

But through the haze of exhaustion and pain, Loki could tell that something had changed. The Asgardians that filtered in were bowing as they spotted the royal family. But they weren't just bowing to Thor – they bowed to Loki, too. And there was no hint of reluctance or hatred in any of them, just respect.

Thor grinned. "They've all accepted you again, brother."

Loki blinked. "Really?"

Val tapped his bloodied knuckles. "This time, they saw you do more than provide a ship and punch a few zombies before flying off in a ship to get Asgard destroyed. They saw you fighting for them. They saw you nearly die for them. And then you stuck around, helping the wounded and carrying away the dead like they were your kin."

Loki blinked again. "Huh. Guess I did do that."

Val rolled her eyes. "All right, sweetheart, you need to go to bed."

"We all do," Thor agreed. They stood, slow and stiff, and limped off to their quarters.

-MCU-

When Val and Loki were somewhat cleaned up and tucked under the covers, they knew the issue they'd been discussing before the Ravagers was creeping back into their minds. But for now, for a few hours, they ignored it, and just enjoyed the time they had left to sleep in each other's arms.


	13. Infinity War

A/N: And here we are... the end. Full disclosure, I wrote most of this before I got more then a few lines into chapter 11. And this one is looong - over 5000 words. I considered splitting it up, cause there's a decent cliffhanger roughly halfway through, but then the second half would probably have too much Thor and Loki to be a good Lokyrie chapter, so I decided to be nice to you guys.

 _ **WARNING: FULL-ON INFINITY WAR SPOILERS AHEAD.**_ I put real scenes in here, like from the SDCC trailer. So if you've seen that or read about it, you should be fairly safe, but if you don't wanna know, this chapter ain't for you.

* * *

The end was nearing – in two days, they would reach Earth. That fact was ignorable when Loki and Val were busy with the day's activities, but not so when they retired to bed at night. "There's hope," they tried to tell themselves as they lay there, twined together in the darkness. But their kisses grew longer, tinged by desperation; their laughter grew louder, almost forced. Commoners' conversations would sometimes end abruptly when Loki walked in, the furtive glances they shot him questioning and concerned. Even Thor, ever hopeful and faithful in the humans, had moments where he fell into doubtful silence, watching Loki when he thought he couldn't see.

Loki noticed it all. He noticed it all and fought not to react, because he didn't want to explain why he looked terrified. He didn't want to explain that, without any sort of army to protect him, he would likely be dead within a month. Or worse. Much worse.

Val knew. At first, he tried to pretend, but he couldn't really lie to the woman who woke him up from every nightmare, holding him and soothing him until he was calm enough to at least act like he could fall back asleep. He hated it, hated putting her through that every night, but he also knew that he probably would've fallen apart in public already if she wasn't there.

But on this night, their second to last on this ship, Loki couldn't stay in that bed, couldn't hold her and pretend he always would, couldn't take comfort in her nearness, so he slid out of bed. She held his hand as long as she could, but let him go without further protest, just watching him with pain in her eyes.

He didn't really have a destination. There was nowhere to go, nowhere to escape to. So he let his wandering feet go where they wanted, and he ended up in the throne room, where he found Thor standing in front of the window wall with his arms crossed. Quietly, Loki joined him, clasping his hands in front of him.

"Can't sleep?" Thor asked. His tone almost managed casual, but the look in his eye was one of concern.

"No," Loki answered. For a moment, he considered elaborating, considered telling Thor of the torture and his reasoning behind attacking Earth and what awaited him if he was set adrift. If Thor knew, he would do anything to protect Loki, including abandoning the idea of settling on Earth.

Which was exactly why Loki couldn't tell him. _The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few._

So he just took a breath and asked, "Do you really think it's a good idea to go back to Earth?"

Thor smiled. "Yes, of course – the people of Earth love me, I'm very popular."

Loki couldn't quite smile at the joke. "Let me rephrase: Do you really think it's a good idea to bring _me_ back to Earth?"

An idea popped into his head as he asked that. _Maybe if I let them imprison me…_ Repugnant as the idea of being trapped in yet another cell for all eternity was, at least he would be within easy reach of both the Asgardians and humans. Thor and Val could visit him, and Thanos might hesitate to try and snatch him up.

Might. If Loki was being honest with himself, getting himself kicked off Earth was better for both species. With Asgard weakened and the humans' inferior technology, he wasn't at all sure that Thanos would be terribly deterred.

"Probably not, to be honest," Thor admitted, but still he smiled, the expression fading from humorous to reassuring. "But I wouldn't worry, brother. I feel like everything's going to work out fine."

Loki wanted to be reassured, but movement distracted them both. They looked out the window in time to see a massive ship rising above them, dwarfing even the Ravager ship they had encountered; they followed its ascent, their eyes slowly widening as they gaped a little.

"Dear gods," Thor breathed.

 _Then again,_ Loki thought, _maybe I've been worrying about Earth for nothing._

Without warning, the ship opened fire.

The force of the first hit knocked Thor back into his throne, while Loki went skidding across the floor. "Fire back!" Loki yelled as the ship kept shaking. "Fire back!"

"I'm trying!" Thor grunted. He staggered to the wall and all but punched it, prompting the console to slide out. "Shields are down to twenty percent," he reported.

"That fast?" Loki exclaimed, trying to stand. But every time he neared that goal, another blast sent him sprawling.

"Firing now," Thor growled, stabbing buttons. Loki twisted to look out the window, watching some flares of light streak towards the enemy ship.

They struck.

The ship's assault didn't even pause for a moment.

"Thor?" Loki demanded.

Thor kept stabbing buttons. "Our weapons aren't doing any damage!"

Val came running in, Heimdall on her heels. She beelined for Loki, crouching to help him up. Steadying each other, they stumbled to the other wall, where they pulled out the second console. Loki stared at the readings. Val swore violently.

"Who's on that ship, Heimdall?" Loki asked.

Heimdall shot him a significant look. "You know."

A final, powerful blast sent them all flying. Loki and Val crashed to the ground, Val screaming as he crushed her wrist at an awkward angle. He scrambled off of her. A flash caught his attention, and he spun on one knee just in time to see Thor vanish in a beam of light.

"Thor!" he screamed. "Heimdall-"

He cut himself off, his gaze landing on the watcher. He was sprawled limply at the base of the throne, his forehead bleeding. _No._

"You know," Heimdall had said. _No, no, no, no, this is_ not _happening. Not now. Not here._

"Loki," Val snapped. "Loki, get your head in the game."

 _Right. You're the ruler now, so think._

Loki staggered back to the console, searching desperately for options. Shields and weapons were out, leaving them defenseless. The engines weren't out, but Loki didn't need scans to tell him that that ship could outrun them. Based on the fact that they were still intact, Loki's magic was still working, hiding what were likely the enemy's targets. Because Loki was wanted, yes, but he had also never delivered what he was supposed to.

He wasn't about to cooperate now.

"What can we do?" Val asked, cradling her wrist against her stomach. The ship had, thankfully, stopped shaking.

Loki pointed at the console's display. "I think-"

An image flickered to life over the window. Even though he'd suspected their identity, Loki still blanched at the sight of Thanos leering at him. A year of unwanted memories rushed at him in a torrent of agony and terror and guilt, making his hands shake, but he shoved it all away as he registered what Thanos held.

In his big, ugly purple hand, Thanos held Thor's head.

He had already been beaten. His face was bloody, and he was hardly struggling, even though he wasn't restrained. A new spike of terror stabbed through Loki – he had never seen Thor silenced so quickly, not when he had something to fight for, to live for.

Thanos sneered. _"Loki."_

Feeling Val put a hand on his back, Loki forced himself to straighten and step up to the throne. "Thanos."

Thanos shook his head. _"That is not how you are to address me, lackey."_

"I will not-"

Thor started to scream, his skin going pale around Thanos's tightening grip. Loki clenched his teeth but relented. "My lord."

Thor's screams turned to panting breaths. _"Better,"_ Thanos said. _"Now, I believe you have what I want."_

Loki spread his hands. "I don't."

" _Don't lie to me, boy. I have been tracking you ever since I let you invade Earth – I know you were on Asgard. And I know what energy signal left your realm just before it was destroyed."_

Loki lifted his chin. "If someone did indeed take it, it was not me."

Thor started screaming again. He forced his remaining eye open and looked straight at Loki. Loki saw the warning in his gaze, and he did his best to hold out. But when he started to hear crackling bones through the feed, "Stop!" flew past his lips before he could think better of it.

" _And if I do?"_ Thanos asked.

Loki met Thor's gaze, trying to convey a silent apology. "I'll give you the Tesseract," he promised quietly. "I'll meet you on the planet in fifteen minutes. Just return my brother and let my people go."

Thanos nodded sharply. _"Fifteen minutes, or I will blow you out of the sky."_

With that, he cut off the communication. Loki stood frozen. _I just agreed to die._

No one escaped Thanos's clutches and lived.

Val grabbed his hand and spun him around, staring up in horror. "Loki, what did you just do?"

Loki looked down at her, at his precious Valki, both taken aback and warmed by the fact that she didn't seem to care that he'd taken the Tesseract and not told anyone. "I'm sorry," was all he could whisper. "I'm sorry."

She took a step back, shaking her head vehemently. "No. No, you are _not_ doing this. I'll go-"

Loki caught her. " _No._ This is my burden, and mine alone. When I'm on the planet, after you get Thor back, take this ship out of here. Go as far as you can as fast as you can. Don't be a hero, don't try to rescue me. Just get the people to safety. Get to Earth and live your lives."

Tears were pooling in her eyes. "No," she rasped. "We have two more days, and I can sneak off Midgard to see you-"

"This was always going to catch up to me. You know that," Loki said, tears burning his own eyes as his voice trembled. "Better now, when we can properly say goodbye."

Val was quiet for a moment, thoughts flickering in her eyes. Then she cupped the back of his head and tugged him down, rising onto her tiptoes so their lips crashed together. Loki cupped her face, holding her close. The kiss was desperate and salty, their tears pooling together where they touched, but in that moment, it was everything. They held onto it for as long as they could.

Then Eir was nudging them apart. "Your Majesty, you need to leave," she urged quietly. There was none of her former malice in her tone – unshed tears glimmered in her eyes. "And know that we thank you for your sacrifice."

Loki looked up. Unnoticed, the throne room had filled up with commoners, and evidently they had been there long enough to hear him sign his life away.

"Um, what if he doesn't return King Thor?" Signy, standing at the front of the crowd, asked.

Loki thought for a moment, then looked back at Val. It was crazy, and definitely not technically legal, but they were desperate. "Marry me."

"What?" she exclaimed. "Now?"

"Yes, now," he said. "I know the throne normally can't be passed to spouses, but these aren't normal times, are they?"

"I can do that," Hildr volunteered. "Marry you two, I mean. But the traditions will take far longer than we have."

Loki waved her over. "I'm going to share a Midgardian wedding with you, all right?"

Hildr nodded, and he put his hand on her forehead. "Got it," she said after she processed the information. Loki turned back to Val, taking both her hands in his.

"Do you, Loki, take Valkyrie to be your lawfully wedded wife, to love, to honor, and to cherish?" Hildr asked.

"I do," Loki replied.

"Do you, Valkyrie, take Loki to be your lawfully wedded husband, to love, to honor, and to cherish?"

Val's voice trembled, but she didn't hesitate to say, "I do."

Hildr nodded, looking at Loki. "Then you may kiss the bride."

Loki bent down again. This kiss was gentle, soft, a lover's goodbye and a hopeful promise blended into the tender touch.

"I love you, Princess," Loki breathed as he pulled back.

Then he swept out of the throne room, ducking his head so he wouldn't look back. If he did, he wasn't sure he would leave.

-MCU-

The planet was dark and dreary, a stiff breeze sweeping over its rocky grey surface. But the cold wasn't why Loki was shivering. Thudding footsteps announced his torturer's arrival long before he came into view.

"Lackey," Thanos greeted in a low growl.

Loki bowed his head, hiding his terror from the titan. "Where is my brother?"

"Where is the Tesseract?" Thanos countered.

"Safe, until I know my brother is back on the ship," Loki replied, lifting his chin and refusing to look away from Thanos's glare, granted courage by the need to protect his brother.

"Your brother will only be safe when I possess the Tesseract."

 _He won't give up Thor until he has what he wants._

Reluctantly, Loki summoned the Tesseract. With one gesture, the glowing blue cube appeared in his grip. Knowing that submissiveness was his best shot at survival, Loki stiffly sank onto one knee and held the treasure out.

Thanos laughed heartily, plucking it from his grasp. "One step closer," he murmured triumphantly. "And soon… Earth."

 _Earth._

 _No._

He peered down at Loki, who still knelt. "I suppose you think I'll force you back into my service now. Or torture you until I decide you're no longer entertaining."

Loki said nothing, just bowed his head. _Anything but immediate death. If you're going to Earth, I need to warn Thor._ Maybe he couldn't escape Thanos's clutches, not in time, but when he was alone in a cell, he could contact Heimdall.

 _If he's awake._

"Your physiology and status are useful," Thanos mused. "And having you tortured was indeed amusing."

For a moment, Loki's heart began to thud, simultaneously anxious and hopeful. Whatever the cost, he needed to live. Just for another day or two, at least.

"However," Thanos went on, "murdering the Asgardian prince as an example is most beneficial."

Before Loki could even blink, Thanos swatted him aside. He hit the ground with a gasp, all of his breath rushing out of him. Thanos picked him up in one hand, crushing him. If he had had the breath to do so, Loki would've screamed as he felt his bones cracking.

"Goodbye, Lackey," Thanos snarled.

 _I'm sorry, Val._

He hurled Loki with all his might.

As he smashed into a wall of rocks, blackness swept over him.

-MCU-

"Wake," whispered someone at the edges of his consciousness.

Thor bolted upright with a growl, leaping off the table and holding his hands out in preparation for a fight. Before him stood four people – a man who looked Midgardian, a green woman, a heavily tattooed shirtless man, and another woman with antennae. And… were those a raccoon and a tree?

"Who the hell are you?" he demanded.

"I'm Peter Quill – people call me Star-Lord," introduced the apparent Midgardian. "That's Gamora, Mantis, Drax, Rocket, and Groot. We're the Guardians of the Galaxy."

Thor snorted derisively, but before he could speak, memories washed over him. _Thanos. Loki. Tesseract._

"Where are my people?" Thor snapped, lightning sparking around his hands. "Where is my ship?"

"Whoa, buddy," Quill said quickly, holding his hands up peacefully. "We don't know. We found you floating around out there, unconscious. How'd you get there?"

"Thanos," Thor spat. "He attacked my ship, and kidnapped me to get to my brother. I suppose he launched me into space rather than return me according to their deal."

"That sounds like Thanos," Gamora said, shooting a significant look at Quill. "Where was your ship?"

Thor considered his options. _I have none but to trust them. I need their ship._

"Where can I enter coordinates?" he asked.

Gamora led him forward, and he input the coordinates as best he could remember. He spent the ride pacing around, ignoring his throbbing head, eyeing the raccoon and tree in confusion. Why did the tree act like a teenager? And why was the raccoon acting like its parent?

"We are arriving," Mantis eventually said.

Thor darted to the front, leaning towards the window. Horror clutched his heart as he saw no ship, only a field of wreckage. "Something's very wrong," he said.

"There's a trail leading away from here," Quill said, looking at his display.

"And a life-sign on the planet," Gamora added. "It's faint, but I think it matches yours, Thor – it's Asgardian."

"Take me to it," Thor ordered. _Is it Loki? He agreed to meet Thanos. But then why is he still there? Where did the Asgardians go? Why were we both left behind, and who the hell is in charge?_

"Uh, hold on, why are we taking orders from him?" the raccoon demanded.

"Because I am Thor, King of Asgard, and I do _not_ take sass from Midgardian rodents," Thor retorted.

"I am not a rodent!"

"He's not," Gamora agreed, stepping between them. "And we're landing."

They piled out of the ship, Thor at their head. No one was immediately visible, so Quill split them up: "Rocket, take Groot over there; Drax and Mantis there; Gamora and I will go with Thor."

Thor struck out, Quill and Gamora fanning out behind him.

"So, Thor, what was that you said about your people?" Quill asked. "I mean, I get you looking for your ship, but shouldn't you know where your people are?"

"Asgard was destroyed a few weeks ago," Thor replied. "Its entire remaining population lives aboard the ship Thanos attacked. Including my brother."

"That's awful," Gamora said empathetically.

Thor looked at her, taking in the delicate lines on her face – Zehoberei. "I have not seen your species in some time."

She cleared her throat. "Probably because I'm the last of my kind. Thanos killed the rest."

"Oh," Thor said quietly. _What if…_

 _No. They are alive. I must believe that._

"Where were you going?" Quill asked to change the subject. "Any particular place? Maybe we could escort you guys or something."

"Earth."

For some reason, Quill's steps faltered. "Oh."

Thor was about to question him when a glint of color broke through the grey landscape. He veered towards it. Slowly, he began to make out a person half buried in a pile of rocks. They were unmoving, and he found himself wondering if Gamora had misread her readings, or if they had taken too long to get here.

Suddenly, he recognized the face. He had been right.

"Loki!"

He threw himself at the pile of rocks, moving them away as quickly as he could. Gamora and Quill joined him. For some reason, as Loki became more visible, Gamora backed away, horror in her movements.

Thor couldn't bring himself to care. He just picked up Loki's head, cradling it carefully. "Loki? Please, brother, don't be dead."

"Mantis!" Quill called. He had backed up to stand beside Gamora, their hands joined.

The young woman jogged over, her eyes going wide as she noticed the brothers. Quickly, she came and knelt beside them, lightly placing a hand on Loki's forehead. "Wake," she ordered, her antennae glowing vibrantly.

Loki bolted awake with a gasp, terror in his eyes. He froze with a cry of pain, clutching at his abdomen.

"Shh," Thor soothed quickly, supporting him before he could fall to the ground. "It's all right, Loki, you're safe."

"Th-thor?" Loki stammered. "Thank the gods," he rasped, throwing one arm around Thor's shoulders and clutching onto him.

"It's all right, Thanos is gone," Thor assured his brother.

Abruptly, Loki pulled back. "Where's Val? Where are the others?"

"I don't know," Thor replied honestly. "But once we get you back to the ship, the Guardians will help us find them."

"The who?"

Thor pointed over his shoulder. "That's their leader, Star-Lord. That's Gamora-"

For some reason, she was trying to hide behind Quill. It immediately became apparent why.

"You!"

Loki staggered to his feet, half in front of and half behind Thor as if he couldn't decide whether to hide behind or protect him, conjuring a dagger and aiming it at her with a shaking hand. "Stay away from me," he hissed.

The Guardians immediately grouped up in front of her, reaching for their own weapons. Thor jumped up beside Loki, wrapping an arm around him and putting a restraining hand on the dagger. "Loki, calm down. She helped find you."

"That- that sadistic murderer tortured me for a year!" Loki protested.

"Wha- _tortured?_ When were you tortured?" Thor demanded, shooting a suspicious glare at Gamora. Her own teammates were turning to her, but they didn't seem surprised – just protective. Quietly asking for an explanation.

"Between my first death and my attack on Earth," Loki replied.

Gamora held her hands up. "I did, Thor. After Thanos murdered my species, he 'adopted' me. Took me in, enhanced me, and turned me into an assassin. Your brother was simply a task back then, someone to force to do Thanos's bidding. But I broke free of my father's oversight, and I am deeply, deeply sorry for what I did to you, Loki."

" _Sorry_ doesn't make up for any of what you did," Loki snarled. "It doesn't make up for the agony, or losing my brother completely, or the nightmares-"

"Loki," Thor broke in quietly, "I won't ask you to forgive her, but you're injured, and we need to find our ship – find Valkyrie. Put the dagger away, and let them help."

For a long moment, Loki didn't react. Then, slowly, Loki lowered the dagger. "Fine. Just- just keep her away from me."

Thor nodded, and began helping Loki back to the Guardians' ship, keeping an eye on Gamora.

-MCU-

Loki groaned as Thor settled him on a bright orange bed in someone's messy quarters. His brother had given up on helping him walk long ago, instead just scooping him into his arms and carrying him the rest of the way. Loki's protests had only been superficial, meant to save face – he had multiple broken ribs, a horrible concussion that explained why his recent memories were hazy, and probably more injuries he was still too disoriented to feel. And why did he feel like he was forgetting something, something important?

"You need to stop getting yourself injured, brother," Thor scolded.

Quill brought in an armful of medical supplies. "Here ya go," he said, setting them down on a small table. "If you need anything else, I think you can figure out where to find us."

"Thank you," Thor said.

Quill flashed a thumbs-up and backed out, shutting the door behind him.

Loki squinted at the gesture. "Is he human?"

"Humans never venture out this far," Thor said, but he didn't sound convinced. He shook his head and turned to Loki. "Where are you injured?"

"Everywhere," Loki moaned, letting his head drop. "I can work on the broken bones."

"And I'll get the cuts," Thor concluded.

Loki hovered his hand over his ribs, grunting as he felt them begin stitching back together, one by one. "How did you find these people?"

Thor shrugged, setting to work on a gash on Loki's forehead. "I guess Thanos just spat me out an airlock. I wasn't really conscious enough to remember."

Loki paused his own healing. "Do you need-?"

"No," Thor cut him off. "Focus on yourself – at least I can walk."

Loki resumed his efforts, hissing as Thor's antiseptic stung his face. "So you have no idea what happened to Val?"

"No," Thor murmured regretfully. "I wish I could give you better news, brother."

"No news is good news," Loki said. "I think."

"There was…" Thor hesitated. "There was a lot of wreckage where the ship was. But I don't recall seeing any bodies."

Loki closed his eyes, trying not to imagine Val floating in space, covered in ice. "That's good."

Thor paused in his ministrations. "Loki, why did you take the Tesseract?"

Loki opened his eyes, meeting his brother's gaze. "If I had left it on Asgard, its destruction would've made the explosion far worse – we wouldn't have escaped. I didn't know Thanos was tracking me and it. I swear."

"I believe you," Thor promised after a moment. "I just…"

"I know. I should've told you sooner."

Thor smiled. "As long as you've learned that."

Loki gestured around them. "Believe me, I'm learning from this."

As the pain cleared, a memory struck him: a tender kiss, human vows made by Asgardian hearts, love made official. "Uh, while you were gone, Val and I… we kind of got married."

Thor choked. "I was gone for five minutes, Loki!"

Loki chuckled sheepishly. "Well, I had just signed my death warrant, and Signy made the very good point that Thanos might not give you back, so… the people needed a ruler."

"Well, she is a better option than our biological sister," Thor conceded, shaking his head as he resumed cleaning Loki's cuts.

" _Your_ biological sister," Loki corrected, smiling lightly to prove he didn't mean it.

Thor chuckled. "All right, _my_ biological sister, _your_ adopted one. Better?"

Loki nodded. "Much better."

They lapsed into companionable silence, broken only by Loki's pained noises and Thor's reassurances. Eventually, they had healed everything they could, and Loki was too worn out for even his fear for Val, or fear of Gamora, to keep him awake.

But he wanted to. "Thor, I should tell you-"

"Shush," Thor ordered. "I think you do have a lot to tell me, but whatever it is, it can wait. Just rest."

With Thor watching over him, he fell asleep.

-MCU-

Val stood beside the throne, arms crossed and head ducked. She had obeyed Loki's last order, waiting as long as she could for both brothers before escaping. A day later, a day closer to Earth, and no one had pursued them. Not Thanos. Not Thor. Not Loki.

 _My husband._

She clenched her eyes shut against tears. She was a warrior, and now a queen – she couldn't cry. Not in public.

"My queen," a quiet voice greeted.

"Eir," Val said, turning to her. "How are the injured?"

"Healing well," she replied. "Better, once we reach Earth and their medical supplies."

"Heimdall?"

"Recovering quickly," she replied. "His abilities should return soon."

Val nodded. "Thank you."

Eir squeezed her shoulder lightly. "I miss them, too."

Val looked out at the stars. Each twinkle of light seemed to represent a memory, a happy moment between her and one or both of the Odinsons. Uproarious laughter, quiet meals, friendly sparring, nights curled up together. But all of those memories, all of that happiness, had lasted only a handful of weeks.

"Not like I do," she murmured. "No offense."

"None taken," Eir said. "None whatsoever."

With that, the healer took her leave. Val resumed her quiet vigil, determined not to cry in front of the people manning the consoles.

 _Will Earth even accept us?_ she wondered. _We were essentially depending on their love of Thor. With him gone…_

"We're receiving a hail, Your Majesty," the man on her right reported.

"From who?" Val inquired.

"From the… Guardians of the Galaxy?"

The name sounded vaguely familiar – rumors on Sakaar? Seemed harmless enough, anyway. "Onscreen."

But the face that appeared wasn't unfamiliar – it was her new brother.

"Thor!" she gasped, joy washing over her.

Her king grinned. _"Valkyrie. May we dock?"_

She waved at the woman on her left. "Open the bay."

"Yes, ma'am."

 _"See you soon,"_ Thor said before hanging up.

The moment the image vanished, Val turned on her heel and sprinted away. _Thor's alive. Did he find Loki? But why wouldn't he be onscreen too? Unless- no. No, he can't be. He's fine. He has to be._

Sure enough, by the time she reached the bay, a familiar figure was exiting a Ravager ship. He was bruised and bloodied, but he was alive.

"Loki!" she cried.

He spun to her, eyes lighting up as he saw her. She ran to him, jumping into his arms without a second thought, and he caught her as if he'd done it a million times before. She twined her fingers into his hair, leaning her forehead against his as she grinned through ecstatic tears.

"I thought I'd lost you."

Loki pressed his lips to hers. This time, the kiss once again tasted like tears, but beneath them was the warmth of joy. There was no desperation, no bitter goodbye. There was only love and happiness.

"Never," he promised when they broke apart. He looked into her eyes, the heat of a promise in the depths of his own. "Never, my love."

"How come you never hug me like that, Gammy?"

Val hopped down, suddenly realizing they had an audience. "Hel- You!"

She recognized the green woman and unsheathed her sword, ready to attack, but then Loki was holding her back and Thor wresting her sword from her grip.

"We've already had this conversation," Loki told her. "And she… she's part of the reason Thor and I are alive."

"What is with you people and sharp weaponry?" the original speaker exclaimed, his arm held protectively across the green woman.

Val tucked Loki behind her, eyeing her warily. "Don't touch him."

She held her hands up, staying behind the speaker. "I know."

Thor turned to the Guardians. "Will you be staying, Lord of Stars?"

"You still going to Earth?" he checked.

"We're about a day away," Val replied.

"Then no," he said regretfully. "Earth and I… It's complicated."

"Wait," Loki murmured. Val turned to look at him – his brows were furrowed, his eyes closed, as if searching for a memory. "Thanos… Thanos mentioned Earth."

"What?" Thor and this Lord of Stars exclaimed simultaneously.

Loki's eyes snapped open. "He's going there. And if he wanted the Tesseract- Thor, I think he's going after Infinity Stones."

Thor's eye widened. "Vision."

Lord of Stars exchanged a sharp glance with his team. "Xandar." One of them, a rodent of some sort, darted back into their ship.

"We can't take our people to Earth, not if Thanos is there," Val pointed out.

"If Thanos gets the Infinity Stones, nowhere is safe," Loki said direly. "We can hide them away for now, but we need to stop Thanos."

The rodent returned. "I can't contact Xandar – he must've already been there."

"Peter-" the green woman began, taking his hand.

"I know," he told her, squaring his shoulders. "Time to go home." He looked up at Thor. "You in?"

"Go," a new voice said. Val turned to see Heimdall. "I can watch over our people. You three – go be heroes."

Thor, Loki, and Val exchanged glances. Then Thor nodded. "Thank you, Heimdall. We'll return when we can."

Heimdall only smiled wryly. "You'd better. All of you."

Thor smiled, then followed the Guardians back onto their ship while Heimdall left the bay.

Val took Loki's hand in hers. "Ready, hero?"

He took a deep breath, squeezing her hand. "Are you, wife?"

She stretched up to kiss him again, savoring her ability to do so. "Just one question."

"What?" Loki asked, resting a hand on her hair.

"Our marriage," she started. "Was it… Did you just do it to make me queen?"

Loki leaned down to her, and this kiss was long and deep. It was warm and gentle, fiery and intense all at once. It held promise, the promise of love and a future. In that moment, Val realized that Loki had made the decision to fight for them, to do whatever it took to stay with her. "What do you think?" Loki murmured as he broke away.

Val grinned up at him. "I love you."

"Yo, lovebirds! We gotta go!"

Hand in hand, they stepped onto the ship. Together, they would defeat this evil. And then… then the universe, their lives… were theirs.

* * *

A/N: I admit, that was cheesy.

So that's about all the Infinity War speculation I'm willing to do here - I don't want to write the _entire_ movie, not now. Like I said last chapter, I might write more if I'm still Lokyrie-inspired come May (and you bet I'll be seeing IW opening night). I left at least one plotline of my own open enough for a sequel, plus all the plotlines IW could give me. But, in case I don't get to it, I will be doing an epilogue for this story - one last chapter.


	14. Epilogue

A/N: "That's about all the Infinity War speculation I'm willing to do" I say right before writing a post-Avengers 4 scene that speculates heavily about what happens during and after Avengers 3 and 4.

So, yeah, _**MORE POTENTIAL INFINITY WAR AND AVENGERS 4 SPOILERS AHEAD.**_ Cause I just can't help myself.

* * *

The humans called it the Infinity War, the time when heroes came from near and far to fight off Thanos and his Black Order. It was an apt name, Loki supposed. It hadn't exactly been a war, but the fighting had been just as vicious. It had left places and people scarred, destroyed. Loki, Val, and Thor had all survived, but not all of their human friends had been so lucky. Years later, Thor still missed Captain Rogers, Val missed Hulk, and Loki missed Tony. The Midgardian he had once thrown out a window had quickly become his fiercest defender among the ones who remembered his invasion, and Loki had grown to like his sass and intelligence, but he'd given his life to protect teenaged Peter Parker, just as Rogers and Hulk had sacrificed themselves for the others.

The survivors remained loyal friends of Asgard. Despite Loki's involvement in saving their world, most of the human governments were still reluctant to let him stay, but the one called Black Panther gave the Asgardians a home in his Wakanda. It wasn't permanent, but while the Asgardians regained their footing and until they found a suitable planet of their own, the African kingdom was home, in exchange for shared knowledge and their ability to aid Earth's heroes when needed.

In between missions, the Guardians sometimes stayed in New Asgard. Loki and the two sisters, Gamora and Nebula, would probably never be the closest friends, but he had realized that they were taking the same steps to freedom and redemption that he was. Between that and necessity, the trio had learned to work past their shared history. Loki, usually with Val in tow and occasionally Thor, sometimes even ventured into the galaxy with them when they wanted back-up or were visiting a good commerce planet. The group was helpful in both Asgard and Earth's attempts to create interplanetary alliances.

And, in recent years, when Val and Loki weren't out and about being heroes or members of Asgardian royalty, they were at home doing something far more important.

"Incoming," Val warned. She stood in one corner of their light blue room, feeding their baby girl, Frigga, her breakfast.

Loki rolled out of bed, dropping into a crouch as he heard footsteps running down the hall towards them. He held his arms out, preparing for the morning greeting that had become a habit over the last few weeks.

The door burst open, letting in a blur of a young boy. "Hi, Father!" he greeted cheerfully, jumping into Loki's arms. Loki caught him carefully and stood, kissing his messy mop of ginger hair.

"Good morning, Bruce," he said, carrying him over to Val so she could kiss him too. Then he set him back down on his own two feet, knowing he preferred that, but he kept a protective hand resting on his head. "How's your implant?"

"I can still run," he said in wonder. "And jump."

"And it doesn't hurt?" Val checked.

"Nope!"

Val and Loki exchanged an ecstatic glance. Frigga was their biological child, born healthy and happy a few months ago, but Bruce was none of those things. He was the son of an Asgardian commoner who had died in childbirth, and his human father had been unwilling to care for a baby that was born paralyzed from the waist down and missing his left arm. Neither parent had any other family to take in the boy, so Eir had brought him to Loki.

If she had been counting on Loki empathizing with the disabled boy with a deadbeat father, she was successful. Children had never really been in Loki's life plan, but when she gently placed the sobbing boy in his arms, Loki had the irrational desire to never let go. He knew what it was like to be stared at for what you couldn't help being, what it was like to have your true identity hidden from you. Granted, being born as every child's nightmare was different than being disabled, but the similarities were there, and Loki had the chance to spare this boy from anything like what he'd gone through. When he turned to Val, she just smiled and nodded, requesting only that they name him after Hulk. Naturally, Loki agreed.

After telling Thor and Jane that they had a new nephew, they went straight to Wakanda to enlist the help of King T'Challa's tech genius sister, Shuri. In turn, she called in Tony's best friend, Rhodes, who still wore his own braces designed by Tony, and together, the duo set to work on technology that would help Bruce walk. His prosthetic arm was simple, as the technology for a lifelike, fully functional limb already existed, and simply had to be downsized to fit a child. But it had taken years for them to figure out how to take Rhodes's clunky braces and transform them into a small chip in the spine that would let him do more than lurch around awkwardly.

Finally, a few weeks ago, they did. Finally, he could run around with his cousin, playing and, one day, training like he'd always wanted.

Loki ruffled Bruce's hair. "Why don't you go find Uncle Thor? He and Sif should be awake for you to play with while your mother and I get ready."

"Ok!" Bruce chirped, racing off without saying goodbye. Loki smiled after him.

"You know," Val murmured, "as much as I despise your sister's guts, she really did do us a favor, didn't she?"

Loki wrapped his arm around her, lightly kissing her forehead and letting Frigga grab hold of his finger. "She did," he agreed.

Frigga squeaked her agreement.

* * *

A/N: I know Sif technically didn't die in Ragnarok cause they couldn't get her actress, but I wanted Thor to have a daughter and I didn't know what else to name her. I also don't know if Hulk can really die, seeing as he can spit out bullets to the head and all that, but 'twas necessary for feels purposes. (Maybe he got, like, incinerated? Hard to come back from that. Just ask Hela.)

While I'll never delete this chapter from this story, if I do write Lokyrie fic after IW and Avengers 4 come out, I will probably ignore its existence and pick up where chapter 13 ended (or something like that, since at least like half of it is probably going to be proven completely false, blatant non-canonical ship content aside, cause we all know canon's gonna push for Thorkyrie. I swear, if Loki gives Thanos the Tesseract for any reason other than protecting Thor and/or Asgard or bait so the others can swoop in and attack Thanos or something selfless like that, I'm gonna riot). Like I said there, this is in case I never write a real sequel.

Anyways, I hope you guys have enjoyed reading this as much as I loved writing it! Thanks for sticking around.


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